Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles
by Dark Amphithere
Summary: A written story of Crystal Chronicles. Join the Tipa caravan's adventures throughout the world, as they battle monsters, meet new people, and gather myrrh for their home. Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.
1. Prologue

Right! So here is the start of my Crystal Chronicles Adventure! Yay! This will be a long story, just FYI, and don't worry; I'll try to keep it updated. This first chapter is pretty short, but they'll get better and longer.

NOTE: I did not write this. This is the prologue from the information booklet. Also, I do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.

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Prologue….

Seek the water of life.

Long ago, miasma swallowed the world. Its very touch was fatal, and it claimed many lives. But we have since discovered a way to hold it at bay.

Crystals protect us from miasma. Smaller crystals now guard the villages of the world, while greater ones guard the cities. We all live our lives within the embrace of the crystal's blessing.

The power of the crystals is not limitless, however; it gradually diminishes over time. We must rekindle the crystal's radiance each year by purifying them with myrrh. In turn, they protect us from the miasma for another year.

But myrrh cannot be found just anywhere. We must seek it in the dank depths of dungeons, across forbidding mountains, even beyond the sea.

This task falls to groups of young men and women sent off each year by every town the world over. It is their duty to collect myrrh and bring it home. They are known as the crystal caravans.

These are the tales of the Tipa caravan's adventures.

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Right, it's nothing special, but it's just a start.

NEXT TIME: Meet the caravanners!


	2. Departure

Okay, so this is the REAL first chapter. Now we meet the characters!

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It was departure day. The day that the caravan of Tipa would leave on its quest to gather myrrh.

Sam couldn't believe it. He never thought he would see the day when HE, of all people, would get to join seven others to travel around the world.

Sam wiped off his face and let out a sigh. He had been working at the farm all morning. Sixteen years old, and tall with brown hair and eyes, Sam was a Clavat, the most peaceful race known to exist on this world. He wore a white and red jacket, as well as some matching trousers to go with it. He also had on some boots.

As he walked out of the farmland, picking up his sword and shield on the way, he was met by his family.

"Good luck out there," said his father. "You return here safe, got it?"

"Be sure to stay healthy, and we'll send you food from home," said his mother, with a sad smile.

"Goodbye," chorused his little sister and brother.

"Don't worry," Sam assured with a grin. "I'll be back. This is gonna be the greatest adventure of my life!"

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"Well, I'm all packed," said Star.

Star was also sixteen, and also a Clavat. She had long brown hair and a white and tan coat, and some matching pants to go with it. She was a sweet, kind girl. Her family was the rancher family of the village.

She threw her pack over her shoulder, and walked out. A cow was outside, and it looked sadly at her.

"Don't worry, Bessie," she said, smiling. "I'll be back before you know it."

As she walked on, she was met by her mother.

"Come back soon," she said to her. "Your father didn't want to say goodbye. He's ashamed because he's crying inside the barn. He's really going to miss you. And so am I."

"I know, mum," said Star. "But don't worry. The caravan will be back soon."

"I know," said her mother, wiping a tear. "You've grown up so fast."

Star pulled her into a hug, and then ran off, waving goodbye as she did.

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"Come on! You stupid thing!" growled the Lilty. "Why won't you zip up?!"

The 16 year old Lilty was struggling to fit some bread in his bag. Garrett belonged to the miller family, much to his disdain. He had the heart of a warrior, and was short tempered. His family was not blacksmiths, or alchemists, but MILLERS! Where was the power and strength in THAT family trade?

After struggling with the bag for over 10 more minutes, he managed to fit everything in. He put on his armor and gauntlets (making sure not to mess up his hair tuft) He walked outside, and was met by his family by the waterwheel.

"Time for you to go," said his father gruffly. "Don't let the monsters get you."

"And eat plenty of bread," added his mom, with a warm smile. "We'll send you plenty."

"Go kick some butt!" said his older brother, pulling the younger Lilty into a headlock and giving him a "goodbye noogie."

"Hey! Cut it out!" shouted Garrett. He squirmed out, and stomped away, throwing a halfhearted wave over his shoulder.

"Don't forget the bread!" called his mother.

Garrett let out a groan. "Yeah, mum!"

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Nieta grinned. This was going to be great! She had everything packed right on time.

Nieta was a Lilty as well, but was only 15 years old. She was the youngest to be in the caravan. She belonged to the tailor family, and had elegant clothes to prove it. But just because she looked nice didn't mean she didn't know how to fight.

Her family generally slept in, so she left a goodbye note on the table. However, she noticed that her older sister was awake. Her sister walked up to her.

"Come back safely, ya here?" she said, pulling her sister into a warm embrace.

"Don't worry sis, I'll make it back safely," Nieta assured. She opened the door, stepped outside, and made her way to the caravan, not looking back.

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The alchemist home stood lonely, isolated from the other family homes. Quietly, a Yuke opened the door. He was tall, his helmet tan, with two eyeholes and two horns sticking straight up. He wore a jacket with a star pattern, as well as matching trousers, striped stockings, and black boots. His name was Creston.

Creston was 19, the oldest member of the caravan. Another interesting thing was that Creston lived alone. He was quiet and smart. Despite being a prodigy worthy of teaching in Shella, Creston only wanted to join the caravan. Also, he could be rather cold and sarcastic at times, which was rather unlike a Yuke, but it may have come from living alone.

He closed the door, and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day for setting off.

"Well then, here we go," he commented lightly.

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Lianora walked out of her home, the blacksmith's house (an unlikely trade for Yukes). She was 17 years old, and she was a Yuke. She had a helmet on with spiral like design at the top. She also wore a traditional female yukeish coat. She was studious and quiet, but very warmhearted.

As she left her home, her father and grandfather met her. Without saying a word, they gave her the supplies she would need. She bowed to them; she didn't have to hear them speak to know that they would miss her. She turned around, waving to them, as she walked toward the exit of the village.

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"RAY!" yelled a female voice. "GET YOUR ASS UP! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

Ray groaned, and got up. He washed his face and got dressed. "Damn sister," he grumbled.

Ray Zul, more commonly known as Ray to his friends, was a Selkie. He was 18, having turned so about 2 weeks ago. He was a true Selkie; sarcastic, wild, and putting himself before others. As he tied a red bandanna around his blue hair, he walked out of the merchant home, meeting his older sister.

"Finally!" she shouted. "I know it's just the two of us, but you need to listen to your sister more!"

"Well if Mum and Dad were here, I probably wouldn't listen to them either!" he yelled back.

"Well, you better get your ass moving!" she shouted. "They're gonna leave soon!"

"Alright, alright…," he said, grumbling. Before he left though, his sister ran up and hugged him.

"Don't be too risky…," she warned. "And come back safe…and if you find something about mum or dad…tell me, okay?"

"Don't worry, sis," Ray responded. "I'll be back." He turned and ran down the path towards the caravan. His sister smiled and turned walked into the house.

"DAMNIT RAY! YOU DIDN'T MAKE YOUR BED! YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

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Mika Ria walked outside, her pack over her shoulder, as she blocked her eyes from the sun.

Seventeen years old, she was a Selkie. She had long blue hair, and dressed in the "Wolfie" fashion of the Selkies. Her family trade was fish. Although many people didn't like fish, Mika (her nickname) loved it.

"Can't believe you're leaving already," came a voice behind her. Mika turned to see her younger brother and mother. It was her mother who had spoken.

"Wow mom," commented the younger boy. "I didn't expect you to get all sentimental."

She cuffed him on the head. "Hush!"

Mika sighed with a smile. "Am I going to be able to leave you guys alone without you two killing each other?"

Her brother grinned. "You're one to talk, Miss Tomboy. If it weren't for your chest, I would've thought you were a boy."

The comment earned him another whack.

"Return safely, and have fun," said her mother, patting her on the back.

Mika nodded with a big grin. "I will." She ran off.

"Go kick some ass!" yelled her brother.

"That's it!" scolded the mother. "We're washing your mouth out with soap, RIGHT FRIGGIN' NOW!"

She proceeded to drag the hapless Selkie boy away.

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Soon, the group met by the caravan at the village's entrance and exit. Everyone stared at each other silently.

"Well…I suppose we should introduce ourselves," said Sam awkwardly. "I'm Sam."

Star smiled. "My name is Star. It's wonderful to meet you all."

Nieta smiled back. "I'm Nieta!"

"Lianora," said Lianora warmly, bowing to them all.

"I'm Garrett!" Garrett half-shouted.

"My name's Mika," said Mika.

"The name's Ray Zul. Call me Ray," said Ray with a wolfish grin.

"I am Creston," said Creston formally, politely waiting after everyone else introduced himself.

The village elder, Roland, walked down the hill towards them.

"Well, you all know each other now," he said with a benevolent smile. He handed Sam, who seemed like the leader, the chalice. "Remember: Return safely to Tipa."

Sam nodded. "We won't let you down," he assured.

Everyone packed up their supplies. Creston, Lianora and Nieta all sat inside the caravan. Meanwhile, Sam and Ray walked on the left of the caravan, while Mika walked on the right. Star sat at the back of the caravan, staring at her beloved village for the last time before they left.

"Are we ready?" shouted Garrett at the helm. "Then let's go."

He flicked the reigns and papopotamus set off. They had left their home. Now the journey had begun.

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Well, now it's officially started. Woo!

Also, here's a guide for what the characters look like, if you couldn't tell.

Sam-Male-Clavat-Natural

Star-Female-Clavat-Long Hair

Garrett-Male-Lilty-Bare Head

Nieta-Female-Lilty-Elegant (but sometimes bare head)

Lianora-Female-Yuke-Spiral

Creston-Male-Yuke-Black Mage

Ray-Male-Selkie-Bandanna

Mika-Female-Selkie-Wolfie

Reviews are loved.~3

Next chapter: The group journeys on, meets a few caravans, and journeys to River Belle Path.


	3. On the road, Caravans, River Belle Path

Next chapter! This is going to primarily be the characters getting to know each other, meeting another caravan, and going to River Belle Path. :D Enjoy.

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The group had started their adventure. Their first destination was River Belle Path.

As the caravan rolled along, the group began to learn more about each other.

Sam turned to Ray, the Selkie next to him.

"So…what's up?" he asked, trying to make conversation. Ray gave him a skeptical look, but knew Sam just wanted to get to know him.

"Eh…not much," Ray responded. "So, why'd you join the caravan?"

"Oh…well…it's been my dream. Ever since I was a kid," Sam said after thinking for a moment. Ray nodded, and smiled slightly. This guy was a dreamer, but Ray thought he could learn to like him.

"What about you?" asked Sam. "Why are you here?"

"Oh…well…I have my own dreams and goals," responded Ray, slightly dodging the question. Sam looked at him questioningly, but he could tell by Ray's tone of voice that Ray wanted to change the subject. Sam smiled in understanding.

"Yeah…I think this is gonna be a great adventure, don't you?"

"Mmhmm."

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At the back of the caravan, Star and Nieta were engaged in conversation.

"So yeah…my parents are tailors…," Nieta said shyly. Star smiled.

"That's nice. I've seen the clothes there. They're really neat!"

"You think so?" asked Nieta. Star nodded.

"Yeah…all this talk is reminding me of home…," said Star wistfully.

"Me too," agreed Nieta. "Think it'll be long before we get home?"

"Nah," said Star. "We're so good, we'll get the myrrh in no time!"

"Yeah!" agreed Nieta, flashing a big grin on her face.

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Mika was walking toward the front of the caravan. She saw Garrett up there, so she thought she'd make some conversation.

"So…what's your family trade?" she asked, curiously.

Apparently that had been the wrong thing to ask. Garrett's eyes darkened.

"Miller," he said, without much enthusiasm.

"Oh…my family is in the fisherman trade," Mika said lightly. Garrett just nodded.

"Do you not like the Miller trade?" Mika asked.

"I just don't think it's all that great. I mean, we're warriors! Why should we be making bread? We should be making weapons and stuff! I just hate it!" he said venomously.

"Wow…you have quite the temper," commented Mika, raising an eyebrow. Then, she caught Ray over at the other side staring at her.

"What do you want?" she asked, annoyed. Ray smirked.

"Hey, who said I was looking at you?" asked Ray innocently, but the devious grin gave it away. "Unless of course you WANT me to…cause I gotta say, it would be my pleasure."

Mika rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

Garrett smirked silently. "Yeah, I'M the one with the temper?" he muttered.

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"So…here we are," said Lianora, trying to get to know Creston better.

Creston nodded. "Indeed."

"So…what's it like being an alchemist?" Lianora asked curiously.

"Oh…it's nothing much, really," Creston responded. "I just do experiments and record the results. What's it like being a Blacksmith? Most Yukes aren't in that line of business."

"Well, it IS unusual…but it's a useful skill, and my grandfather says I'm learning the ropes really well," commented Lianora thoughtfully.

Creston seemed to smile behind his helmet. He was growing to like this companion. He looked up as the caravan started to slow down.

"Why are we stopping?" he asked aloud.

"Must be something going on outside…," murmured Lianora. "Let's go check."

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The Tipa caravan had run into the caravan from Alfitaria. There were also two moogles along with the five lilties that made up the caravan.

"Greetings, caravanners," said the leader. "I am Sol Racht, head of the caravan from Alfitaria. It is good to meet you. Who are you?"

The group introduced itself. Sol Racht nodded.

"Ah, new caravanners. I'd like you to meet someone. Stiltzkin. A moment if you please?"

A moogle with a pack on his back walked over. He looked wise. The group took it for granted that this moogle was Stiltzkin.

"Ah new caravanners!" greeted Stiltzkin, his eyes shining. "You have a long journey ahead of you. I know a couple of things that might help you. Do you want to learn some moves and such?"

"No," said Ray, bluntly. Stiltzkin stared at him.

"Magic? Advice? Knowledge about myrrh?" he asked.

"No," said Ray firmly. This time, Mika yanked his hair. "OW!"

"Don't be so rude," she said, glaring at him.

"Er…what he means is…," Star explained. "Is that…we are grateful for the offer but…we want to learn from experience, on our own."

"Nice save," muttered Garrett."They won't suspect a thing." Mika glared at him, making hair pulling motions. Garrett shut up immediately.

"Ah…I see…well, that's good, I suppose. Independence," mused Stiltzkin properly. Suddenly, the other moogle perked up.

"Hey, kupo!" the moogle said. "I'll carry the chalice for you!"

"Yes-let Mog help you," agreed Sol Racht.

"No-" began Ray, but a yank to his hair shut him up.

"That's a great idea, thanks!" said Sam, taking control. Mog flew over and picked up there chalice.

"Well…we gotta go now," said Garrett, coughing. "Myrrh tree's are waitin'.

"Yes; of course," said Sol. "Good luck to you all. Have a safe journey."

"Goodbye," said Sam as both caravans departed.

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"There it is," murmured Star. "River Belle Path."

"Our first dungeon," commented Lianora softly. They looked up at the spooky old road. They could see reddish outlines of goblins and hedge pies, and the occasional Mu.

"Well, let's go!" yelled Garrett, dashing forward.

"Yes Garrett- let's charge blindly in without making a plan, and completely ignore the monsters out for our blood," said Creston, sarcasm dripping from every word. "They're not going to let us walk past them, unless you're too hardheaded to realize that."

"HEY!" growled Garrett.

"Well Lilty's DO bounce the chalice on their heads," murmured Mika thoughtfully. "So you must have hard heads."

"Guys, let's stop arguing and just go," pleaded Star.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Best idea I've heard all day. Now let's go.

The group made its way forward. Soon they were met by 3 goblins.

"Grah! Get them!" ordered the lead goblin, throwing a rock there way. One hit Garrett's skull.

"Eh?" Garrett looked around, bewildered. "Did something hit me?"

"Told you that you were hardheaded," muttered Creston under his breath. He wielded his hammer and cast a fire spell on one of the goblins. It cried out in pain. Star dashed forward and swung her sword at it. It let out a wail and fell to the ground, dead.

"No! Comrade!" shouted the lead goblin. "Grrrr. We get revenge. Go get guys!"

The other goblin ran forward. Nieta rushed forward, swinging her spear at him. Her spear and his blade clashed together. Mika ran behind him, shooting a projectile at the goblin's head, dazing him. Ray ran up and struck the goblin over the head with his racket, causing the creature to crumple to the ground like its friend.

Meanwhile, the lead goblin fought 1 on 1 with Sam. With a cry, Sam lunged forward and stabbed the goblin in the throat. With a gurgling cry, it fell over dead, joining it's comrades.

"We did it," said Sam, grinning.

"SAM! LOOK OUT! HEDGE PIE!" shouted Star. Sam turned to find a Hedge Pie lunging for him. As it was about to bear down on him, it stopped. Sam looked up to see it was frozen.

Lianora stared at it, her staff extended. "Now THAT was a spell," she said, seeming to smile deviously behind her helmet. Sam looked down where the goblin body once lay. Now there was a key in its place. Creston appeared beside him, examining the peculiar object.

"I think this key opens the door over there," he said thoughtfully, pointing ahead. Sam looked over, and sure enough, there was a door with a key hole that match the key in front of Sam.

Sam walked up and inserted the key. The door opened and the group moved onwards.

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After a few more battles and unlocking doors, the group made it to a clearing. They looked up ahead and saw a bridge over a river.

"Guys, when we get there, let's stop for lunch," said Sam. Everyone else nodded, although Garrett's was strained.

As they walked along, Nieta perked up.

"Uh guys…do you hear something?" she asked uneasily.

"What do you me-AHHHHH!" screamed Star. A creature burst out of the ground and leaped at her. Lianora appeared at her side, and swiftly bonked the creature on the head. And fell to the ground in a heap.

"W-what was that thing?" asked Star.

"A Mu," answered Creston.

"W-what are they, though?" asked Star, thoroughly spooked.

"You'll find out in a minute," growled Ray, making a gesture. About 5 more Mus appeared from the ground. Their tails swished back and forth and they growled, their eyes shining with hunger and malice.

"EEEK!" screamed Star. She had a fear of rodents ever since she woke up one day to find a rat on her pillow when she was six. She hid behind everyone. "K-keep them away…"

Ray and Garrett began to rush forward when a huge blue flash lit up the path. The caravanners shielded their eyes. When they looked again, all the Mus were either frozen or dead. The group looked at the Yukes questioningly, looking for an answer.

They saw Creston with his hand outstretched. "Blizzaga," he commented. "Gotta love it."

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The group then settled on the bridge, eating the food they packed. Sam kindly shared his family's crops with everyone. Star shared some meat and Garrett was more than happy to give his bread away. Mika meanwhile shared her fish with everyone, except Ray, as he had stolen some fish from her pack. This act earned him a powerful kick to the groin.

As everyone ate, Ray went into his bag to find a striped apple. He felt around but found nothing. Then he heard a giggle from Nieta. He glared at her, and she pointed to Mika. Mika had a striped apple in her hand. She caught Ray staring and smirked at him, taking a bite. Ray's jaw dropped.

"She beat me at my own game…," he muttered crossly. "I can't believe it…I would take my apples back, but I don't want to get kicked again…damn."

Creston ate with Sam and Star. Sam looked up at him curiously.

"Hey Creston? What's under your helm?" he asked. Creston glanced at him.

"Oh well…some people say we look like **rats**…," Creston said calmly. Star flinched and moved about 5 feet away from him.

"Creston, that wasn't funny," Sam said sternly, going off to comfort Star.

"I thought it was," he said, shrugging.

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The group moved onward after their lunch. Soon, they came face to face with a group of goblins. Three chieftains and 5 little ones.

"ATTACK!" roared a chieftain. The caravanners and the goblins both charged forward. Nieta struck a goblin across the face with her spear. She sent it flying towards another goblin. As the other goblin tried to move, Lianora froze it with Stop, causing both goblins to fly into each other. They both fell over, groaning. Garrett ran by and finished them both off, then confronted one of the chieftains. The chieftain swung his blade down at him, and Garrett barely managed to block it. Garrett threw the goblin off of him, then impaled the creature's stomach. It let out a high pitched squeal, and tried to stab the Lilty, but missed. It then fell over, stone dead.

Meanwhile, Mika and Sam were fighting two goblins, side by side. As one goblin got around Sam, they both went for Mika. Mika leaped into the air, aiming shots at both of them. The goblins became dazed and disorientated long enough for Sam to run them through with his sword. They both cried out. One of them died immediately. The other struggled to remove the blade, but to no avail. He too fell down in a matter of seconds.

Ray was fighting a chieftain alongside the river. Ray kept dodging the swings the chieftain made, but it was difficult because he seemed to be distracted by something. The chieftain swung with all his might.

"Me got you now!" he taunted. Ray ducked. The chieftain lost his balance and fell into the river. He hit his head on a rock and promptly drowned.

"Yeah…you got me all right," muttered Ray, running to help the others.

Creston moved away from the goblin trying to strike him. "Look, just run and I won't kill you."

"Ha! You afraid! You no able to beat me!" said the goblin with a nasty grin. Creston sighed.

"FIRA!" he shouted. The goblin never knew what hit him. He went flying.

Star was fighting the last chieftain. Their blades clashed, creating sparks like mini fireworks. The goblin chief grinned hideously. Star saw her chance and stabbed him in the chest. The goblin groaned but remained standing. That is, until the goblin Creston sent flying hit him in the head. Both goblins fell in a heap and vanished.

"Sheesh…that was tough…," said Sam. Lianora nodded in agreement.

The group walked onwards. Mika noticed Ray stayed as far away as possible. She sighed. Probably because of the kick. She went over to apologize.

"Eh?" he asked. "What's up?"

"Look…I'm sorry I kicked you, alright? And that I stole your apples," she said.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Ray said, shrugging. "I should be the one apologizing."

"What, for stealing the fish?" said Mika.

"Nah. When you did that move when you jumped in the air, I got quite a view under your skirt."

Mika blushed deep red, in anger and embarrassment. "YOU LITTLE-!" She pulled out her racket.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who saw!" Ray protested, putting up his hands. Mika then caught the Lilties moving away from her. Nieta looked like she was holding her tongue.

"YOU BOTH SAW TOO!?" she yelled.

"We can't help it if we're short, okay?!" yelled Garrett. "Nor can we help it if you flash the enemy while performing a move!"

SMACK! Garrett stumbled backwards with a handprint on his cheek. Ray looked shocked.

"Hey! I didn't get hi- GAAAAAH!" he yelped. His joy turned to pain as Mika aimed a kick in between his legs AGAIN.

"God…damn…it," mumbled Ray.

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The group arrived in a clearing with a waterfall.

"It's so beautiful," whispered Star.

"Hey! I see the tree!" yelled Ray, recovered from the previous crotch shot. Suddenly a rumbling noise was heard. An enormous crab leaped out from behind the waterfall. A Mu crawled out of the ground and appeared at the monster's side.

"Looks like we're gonna have to fight," muttered Creston.

"LET'S DO THIS!" roared Garrett.

The crab rushed forward swinging its claw furiously. He managed to knock the group backwards. Only Lianora, Garrett, and Star were able to hold their ground.

"C'mon, weakling!" yelled Garrett, rushing at the crab. He managed to strike the creature with his spear. However, the monstrous crab shot a slow energy ball at the Lilty.

Garrett suddenly became sluggish and could barely move.

The crab charged an electrical blast, ready to make a finishing blow, when Nieta leaped in. She pulled Garrett out of the way, and managed to slice off the monster's claw.

The crab let out a roaring screech. It rushed forward after the Lilties, swinging it's horn at them. However, a ball of fire stopped it. More fireballs bombarded the creature, pummeling it into submission. The Yukes grinned behind their masks victoriously as the crabs horn fell off due to the magic. Now the monster was powerless. But then, before they knew it, the creature charged up an electrical blast and struck them both. Both Yukes were paralyzed.

"Darn! We can't move!" shouted Lianora in frustration. Garrett was not much better, his movements still slow.

Ray ran forward, swinging his racket and launching two shots at the creature. He aimed for the monster's eyes.

Both shots hit their mark.

The creature roared in agony. Mika, meanwhile, fired a shot at the creature. It went straight into the creature's mouth and throat. The creature began to choke. Sam and Star both rushed at the monster, with their swords in hand. The both plunged their blades into the monster's sides. The crab never knew what hit it. It let out a choking roar, before dissolving into a gurgling puddle.

"WE WON!" shouted Nieta. All of the group cheered. It didn't matter that the crab was a weak monster. They had reached their first myrrh tree!

Sam took the chalice from Mog (who was still sane after all of this), and held it out under the tree. The tree released a drop and it landed in the chalice, filling up a third of it.

"One down, two to go," said Mika.

The group opened and responded to their letters (although Garrett was annoyed by his mom sending him bread, Mika's brother complaining about having his mouth washed with soap, and Ray's sister said his ass was getting kicked when he got home for leaving his room dirty). Creston did not receive a letter, so he planned out the groups next movements.

"Alright, guys," said Nieta after the group had rested. "Let's get out of here."

Everyone nodded. They packed up, and headed back to their caravan. They had collected their first drop of myrrh but the journey had only just begun.

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Whaddya think? Good? Bad? Hope it was good. It took forever to type.

I know some things aren't really true in this. Like Mog appearing in multiplayer mode. But I don't want one character to get stuck with the chalice and have less screentime. So that's why Mog is there.

Reviews are loved. Suggestions are loved.

Next Chapter: The Miasma Stream, Arguments, and Mushroom Forest: Part One


	4. Miasma Streams and Campfires

Time for another chapter. *applause*

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The caravan group had just left River Belle Path when they were approached by another caravan.

Two Selkies ran up to the caravan. The caravan from Leuda. Nieta was the first to spot them.

"Hey, someone's coming," she warned the others. Ray looked onwards curiously.

"Oh boy…," Ray muttered under his breath. "OY! Mika! Get out here."

Mika hopped out of the caravan, her eyes narrowed. She wasn't on good terms with this Selkie, or Garrett for that matter.

"What is it?" she asked, then noticed the Leuda caravanners running up to them. "Guys. Let us handle this."

Sam gave her a questioning look. "Handle what?"

"Selkies never really go out of there way for something unless it's important to them," explained Ray. He urged them to shut up as soon as the other caravan got close.

"Oh hey there Selkies," said one of them, a boy with blonde hair. "What's up?"

"Oh y'know…," said Ray. "Getting' myrrh, gold…all that stuff."

"Ah…," said the other member, a girl. "Hey listen, seeing that your on the road and stuff, you must need some items. How would ya like to buy this silver for 800 gil?"

Mika and Ray gave everyone a "WE TOLD YOU SO" look.

Ray walked up to the female member from the Leuda caravan. "And how much do YOU cost, beautiful?"

This act caused Mika to take control. She seized Ray by his hair and dragged him to the caravan. She then returned to the boy and the now-blushing girl.

"Well…the funny thing is…," said Mika. "We actually just BOUGHT some silver from Marr's Pass. And it only cost about 250 gil. Funny, hunh?"

Both Selkies gaped at her.

"Shoot," whispered the boy.

"Speaking of buying things, we need to run and get supplies! Bye!" yelled the female Selkie. The two then left the Tipa caravan, with 6 members watching them run. Ray was busy stroking his sore hair, and Mika just sighed.

"What did you do?" asked Star, bewildered.

"I think they realized that they were overpriced and looked like fools," said Mika. "I think they didn't want us to beat them up for scamming us. They were so worried they didn't even realize that we haven't even BEEN to Marr's Pass yet."

"Well speaking of being places, we should probably get going," said Creston, reminding them all of their duties. Everyone nodded. "However, let's make camp somewhere near. It's getting dark."

As the group searched for a camping spot, Ray scooted up next to Mika.

"What do you want, bandanna boy?" she asked, eyeing him coolly.

"Why'd you yank my hair back there?" he asked, wincing at the memory. "I probably could of got us the silver AND a discount."

"It was instinct," said Mika. "I can't stand to let someone get embarrassed by a moron like you, not to mention it was totally obnoxious."

"Or maybe you were JEALOUS," taunted Ray, smirking. YANK! "OW!"

"Say that again and I'll yank your hair so hard, you'll be bald," growled Mika. Ray took the hint and headed up to talk to Garrett.

"Man…girls are brutal," muttered Ray.

"You've got a lot to learn, kid," said Garrett wisely.

"Kid? Dude, I'm older than you," corrected Ray.

"Shut up, bandanna boy," said Garrett.

"Point taken, hardhead," grumbled Ray.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Look over there," said Creston, pointing. Everyone looked over. They all saw it. A Miasma Stream.

"Let's go through it, then we'll set up camp," said Sam. Everyone nodded, although Nieta and Mika both looked nervous.

"Come on, then," said Garrett, walking forward as Creston took control of the caravan. "We can all walk a little further, right?"

Soon they arrived at the Miasma stream.

"Hey, all of the smoke around here is blue. I suppose that means our chalice needs to be Water," reasoned Ray.

"Shoot!" said Nieta, stamping her foot. "We started with fire! And none of us changed it. That means we have to go all the way back to River Belle Path!"

"Actually," said Mog, "I was the one carrying the chalice the whole time. And I changed it to water as soon as we got there, kupo."

"Oh…," said Nieta. "Well, uh…thanks Mog."

"What're we waiting for?" asked Star. "Let's go.

With that, the caravan entered the stream."

**00000000000000000000**

"Okay, this place is WAY creepier inside then outside," said Mika.

Lianora nodded. "They are known to be spooky. Their appearance even wards away monsters. That's why you never find monster's in a miasma stream."

"They give us the creeps, kupo," said Mog.

As the caravan walked toward the center of the stream, they felt strong, violent winds attempting to push them back. Ray took the chalice from Mog, who was too light and was being buffeted by the winds. The group moved continuously forward, until finally, the winds let them through. They soon made it out of the Miasma Stream, and it was bright again.

"Phew…that was scary, but it's all over now," said Star to Nieta.

They then heard a voice behind them.

"Yes…," said a rasping, whispering voice. "It is all over…FOR YOU!"

Two hands grabbed both girls by the legs. Nieta and Star both screamed loudly. The others turned around to find…

Garrett clutching both of their legs, laughing hysterically. Ray was also laughing, leaning against a tree so he wouldn't fall over. Creston took the chalice from the Selkie, regarding him with disdain.

"Oh GOD!" choked out Garrett. "The look on your faces!"

"Dude…that was…great," gasped Ray, tears coming out of his eyes.

Sam was angry. He went over to comfort Star and Nieta. Lianora, meanwhile, bonked Garrett on the head with her hammer.

"OW!" he yelped. "C'mon! It was just a joke." Ray, meanwhile, was now laughing at Garrett. Mika walked over and stomped on his foot.

"HEY! WHAT THE HECK!?" yelled Ray, clutching his throbbing foot. "What did I do?! Garrett was the one who grabbed them!"

"Insensitive assholes," Mika muttered.

"Agreed," said Lianora.

Sam sighed. "Let's just set up camp here, guys."

"No…let's get a little bit further away from this thing," said Nieta, still trembling slightly.

The eight travelers moved on to find a camping spot.

"Girls are brutal," grumbled Garrett.

"Told ya so, kid," said Ray.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Soon, after they were far enough away from the sinister stream, the group made camp just as the sun went down. Lianora lit the wood that Ray and Garrett gathered (as punishment) to create a campfire. As the members of the caravan got out there sleeping bags, they huddled around the warmth of the campfire.

Creston stood up. "I'm not tired, so I guess I'll take the first watch."

"Watch?" asked Sam.

"You think the monsters are going to leave us alone just because we're asleep?" asked Creston. "No. So I'll stay up and keep an eye out for any trouble.

"Alright…," said Sam. "Wake me up in two hours. Then I'll take over."

"I'll take over next," muttered Ray, before anyone told him he had to. Everyone looked shocked.

"What? Ray actually doing something for others?" asked Mika, shocked.

"No, I'm going to watch you sleep," said Ray, giving her an unsettling grin. Mika tensed.

"I'LL take the third watch," said Nieta.

"Ray, that was uncalled for," scolded Lianora. Ray's smirk stayed on his face.

"You really shouldn't aggravate others for your own enjoyment," said Star. "You really are a selfish person, you know?"

Ray's smile slid off his face. Selfish? That's what they thought? That comment actually made him feel bad a bit.

"Who says I do that?" he said, determined not to let it show that comment had hurt him.

"You really are a selfish bastard," said Garrett, gnawing on some meat.

"You're just as bad," said Lianora. "Scaring others, than laughing at them."

"Pssssh," said Garrett, rolling his eyes. "I suppose you think we ought to be like Sam, the perfect leader who gets annoyed if someone has fun."

"At least Sam has consideration for others," said Nieta, giving Garrett a hot glare. Garrett's eyes widened at that.

"I'm going to bed," growled Garrett.

"For once, Garrett, you've made a wise decision," said Nieta, yawning. Soon everyone was asleep, except for Creston. It was dark and gloomy around them, but the warmth of the fire and the light of the crystal helped them feel safe, driving away the nightmares as they slept soundly.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

End of the chapter. Sorry! I know I was supposed to start Mushroom Forest in this Chapter, but I didn't have the time. It will be in next chapter, though.

Well, now we know more about the characters. Ray and Garrett are quite the troublemakers, eh? But we have Lianora and Mika to kick their butts.

They'll get better eventually. But for now, we will let them scare the girls in peace.

Next Chapter: Mushroom Forest (for real this time)…and PLOT/CHARACTER DEVLEOPMENT.


	5. Lost among the Toadstools

Welp. Here comes another chapter. This one will include all of Mushroom Forest.

000000000000000000000000

The sun shined brightly as it rose over the hill.

Nieta opened her eyes wearily. She had fallen asleep after Mika agreed to take the fourth watch. Still, Nieta had always been a light sleeper. She looked around, her vision blurred. She saw something in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and stared.

Garrett was snoring peacefully under her. And then she saw her arms around him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed loudly, birds flying out of the trees around them. Garrett's eyes snapped open, and he let out a yell of shock and horror. Mika (who was still awake) ran out from behind the caravan and caught the two. Creston and Lianora both shot up awake, while Sam leaped out of his bed and fumbled for his sword. Star glanced around in alarm, before her eyes settled on the screaming Lilties. Ray just let out a loud grunt and turned over on his pillow.

Nieta leaped off of Garrett, her eyes wide. Garrett jumped up, brushed himself off, and his glare matched hers.

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO!?" asked Nieta, her face red in anger and embarrassment.

"ME!? How could I have done anything!? You were on top of ME!" shouted Garrett, his hands curling into fists.

"Guys! Calm down!" shouted Lianora, rushing between them. "You're going to bring every monster here with your yelling." Her advice was promptly ignored by the fiery duo.

Creston walked over, grabbed Garrett's legs, and promptly held the flailing Lilty upside down. Star, meanwhile, restrained Nieta.

"Now, unless you both want to keep fighting each other rather than the monsters, be my guest," said Creston tiredly. "However, WE'RE going to head off to the next ,myrrh tree, if you don't mind."

He dropped Garrett on his head, which caused the Lilty to let out an angry cry. The group started to pack up, but Mika walked over to Ray, who was still sleeping soundly.

"Damn, this guy can sleep through anything," she said, leaning over him. Suddenly, Ray stirred. He let out a loud yawn, and stretched up. He lifted his head.

Right into Mika's chest.

Ray's eyes snapped open.

"AAH!" he and Mika shouted at the same time.

"You're not Mr. Pillow!" Ray yelled, scrambling away from her.

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" shouted Mika, her teeth bared in a snarl.

"It's your fault for leaning over me while I sleep!" retorted Ray. He got out a cloth and wiped off his face.

"Guys, calm down," said Sam. "I mean, I saw Lianora snuggling Creston's arm while I was on watch, and they weren't arguing about it."

Lianora whipped her head towards him. "What!?"

Creston shrugged. "I was awake, but I assumed you thought I was a pillow, so I didn't say anything. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Alright," muttered Lianora. "And for the record, you all can call me Lia."

"Alright," said Garrett.

"Look, anyways, let's just go," said Star. Everyone nodded, although glares and mean looks were still being passed around.

"Where are we headed for next?" Nieta asked Creston.

"The Mushroom Forest," he answered.

"Where's that?" asked Garrett.

"Right there," Creston responded, pointing a feathery hand. Up ahead, to the left a bit, was a large group of tall, wide mushrooms. From the distance they were at, the mushrooms seemed to glow with light.

"Well then, let's move out," said Ray. The caravan finished packing its things and headed off.

0000000000000000000000000

"Here we are," said Lia. The group looked up at the towering toadstools before them.

It seemed so much smaller when they were far away.

"Alright…let's go," said Sam, leading the way in.

As they stepped into the forest, they looked at their surroundings. The forest was lit up with beautiful mushrooms, and was covered with an autumn glow. Although the sun had just rose, the color and atmosphere of the forest made it seem as though the sun was setting.

As they moved forward, a green seed-like object flew past Star's face. The group turned to find two plant like creatures, their purple jaw-like leaves open.

"Hell plants," muttered Lia.

"Then let's go!" Garrett yelled. He rushed forward, only to be hit back by a seed.

"No, Garrett," said Lia. "Your moves are powerful, but they aren't quick enough to deal with those things." She turned transparent for a moment and let a seed pass through her. "You also don't have enough range to deal with them."

"But WE do," said Mika and Ray, both grinning. Mika sent a projectile toward one Hell plant. It got hit right in the throat. The monster spluttered and coughed as it tried to get the object out of its throat.

Ray, meanwhile, leaped forward, dodging all the second Hell plants blasts. Soon, he stood over the creature. He took a few whacks at it, before finally killing it. The monster made one final snap at him with its jaws, but then fell over and died. Meanwhile, the other Hell plant finally succumbed to its choking. It let out a rasping, croaking groan as it too died, fading into the miasma.

The group moved on when they met 2 more Hell plants. The only difference was that there were new monsters with them.

One was a Hedgehog Pie. The other was a small, impish looking creature, that had sharp teeth and a little whip attached to its head. A Gremlin.

"Alright!" shouted Sam, leading the caravanners into the fray. "Selkies, get the hell plants. I'll take the Hedge Pie, and Nieta, you and Creston take the Gremlin. Lia, heal anyone if they get hurt. Star; keep a lookout for other monsters. Garrett, you're backup."

Sam rushed forward, as the Hedgehog Pie sent a fiery blast toward him. He ducked and beat the thing back with his sword. The creature tried to lunge at him, but Sam blocked it with his sword. He then chopped the creature in two, and it died instantly.

Mika and Ray had already dealt with the Hell plants. Nieta was stabbing angrily at the Gremlin, who was chuckling as he dodged out of the way. He swung his whiplash towards her, and knocked her back. He prepared to deal another blow, only to have Creston appear out of nowhere and whack the little demon on the head. The Gremlin went flying in the air and crashed into a mushroom with a sickening crunch. It fell to the ground and remained still.

Ray, meanwhile, was dealing with another Gremlin that appeared to help its friend. It swung his whip at him, and he caught it in his hand.

Ray growled. "That's it! I'm done with this thing."

He held the creature over his head and started to swing it around by the whip. The creature was swung around faster and faster until Ray let go. It soared through the sky and soon became a little speck in the distant clouds.

"Phew," said Sam, sitting down for a break. "These guys are tougher than the creatures on River Belle Path, that's for sure."

"Yeah, but you guys handled it fine," said Garrett, coming back to the group, his arms full. "Meanwhile, I found some supplies and treasures for us. I thought they could be useful."

"Oh wow, Garrett pulled his weight for once," said Creston lightly. Garrett opened his mouth to make a sharp reply, when suddenly, Lianora perked up.

"I…sense something…," she warned.

"What do you me-," began Mika, before something grabbed from behind.

"Nice try, Ray, but I'm not gonna fall for- AAAAH!" she yelled. She was being taken away by some monster flying in the sky. She looked down and saw her friends getting up. She looked up and saw the creature. An Ahriman. Its single dark red eye looked down at her with evil hunger. She caught Creston trying to use a gravity spell, but the monster was too high.

Down below, Star grabbed Creston's arm.

"It's no use," she told him. "Even if the creature was low enough, your spell would cause it to fall and crush Mika under it."

Lia nodded. "You have to find another wa-AAAAAAH!" she yelled, as a second Ahriman swooped down and grabbed her. Creston ran forward to hit the monster, but it shot a laser at him and he slowed down. He groaned. A slow spell.

Nieta looked around. "What do we do!?" she asked frantically. Then she noticed Ray, sitting on the ground with his eyes closed.

"Ray!? What are you doing at a time like this? Help!" she asked. Ray opened an eye irritably.

"Shut up, grass head!" he shouted, making a comment about her tuft-like hair. "I'm thinking."

He sat still for another moment, then leaped to his feet. He looked around and found the tallest mushroom he could find.

"Creston! Cast Haste or Hastaga on me!" he yelled. Creston looked over.

"It'll take too long if I do it," the Yuke yelled back. "You'll have to."

Groaning, Ray cast the spell on himself. He shook his head, shaking off some dizziness (only Yukes were unaffected by the dizziness effects after casting a spell), and ran towards the mushroom.

"Is he an idiot?" asked Garrett. Then his eyes widened.

"What the hell!?" he shouted. Ray ran right up to the tree, but he didn't stop there. He started running up the toadstool, his eyes blazing with determination.

"Whoa," muttered Sam, casting a glance at the Selkie.

"Holy cow, kupo," said Mog.

Ray continued to run until he reached the top of the mushroom. He could see the vast distances of the forest, and he could also see that there was a single clear looking spot. The myrrh tree was fairly close. He finally caught sight of Mika, the Ahriman rising out of the toadstools. He ran forward and jumped, landing on the monsters back. He took his racket and slammed into the creatures red eye. It let out a horrible screech and dropped Mika. Ray jumped off the monster and grabbed her. Glancing back, he aimed one last shot at the Ahriman. It let out a weak whimper, and started hurtling to the ground. It slammed into the hard ground, and died. Ray, meanwhile, landed safely on a mushroom. He flopped to the ground and put Mika down.

"There. Am I still an insensitive asshole?" he asked. Mika shook her head.

"Sorry…," she said. "And thanks…"

"It's what friends are for," he said. Then his legs shook and he fell over, groaning a bit.

"Ray!?" asked Nieta, running over. "What's wrong?"

He didn't reply, just clutched his stomach and grumbled a bit.

Meanwhile, Sam and Garrett were still trying to rescue Lia from the second Ahriman's clutches. Sam casted Clear on Creston who got up.

"I have an idea," the Yuke said, adjusting his helm. "But it's risky. Garrett, as soon as I cast this next spell, run forward and stab that monster as hard as you can."

"Got it." Confirmed the Lilty. Creston waved his hand, and a Gravity spell came down on the Ahriman. "NOW!"

Garrett ran forward and stabbed the rapidly falling monster right in the eye. At the same time, Creston used Stop on it. Lianora glanced down. Another second, and that monster would've fallen right into the ground, and crushed her. Creston pulled her out of the frozen monster's clutches. At the same time, Star cut off the creatures wings. The monster unfroze and started twitching and swinging its whiplash tail about. It was futile. The monster's bloody eye glazed over, and it turned over and died.

"Well, that settles that," said Garrett, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"Creston! Lia!" yelled Nieta, her short body running over. "Something's wrong with Ray. Mika doesn't seem so great either."

The group hurried over. Creston checked Mika first. She seemed pale, and shivering.

"Don't worry about me," she said. "I'm bound to be colder than all of you, with these light clothes and all."

Creston nodded, although he still kept an eye on her. He walked over to where Lianora was checking on Ray. The other Selkie was also pale, but he was groaning and shaking his head a bit. He was also holding his stomach.

Creston looked around. "What has he done recently?"

Nieta and Mika both explained. Both Yukes listened intently.

"Miasma," they both said simultaneously.

"What?" asked Sam.

"When Ray ran up the mushroom, he must've left the Crystal's barrier," explained Lia. "Mika left it's barrier, too, but for a shorter period of time. That's why she's pale. Ray, on the other hand, has a stomachache because he was out longer. As for his head, it's only the after effect of casting a powerful spell. All tribes except Yukes get it. Don't worry. They'll be alright."

"Well, we might as well rest for a few minutes," said Sam. "But this time, keep an eye on the skies. We don't want that to happen again."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

The grouped moved deeper into the woods, getting closer to its heart where the myrrh tree was. Suddenly, Nieta heard a rustle behind them. She turned and saw a tiny worm.

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously? This is just pathe- WHOA!"

Everyone whirled around. Two more tiny worms had joined the first one. They all began to move forward, there tiny legs moving quite quickly across the ground.

Creston glanced at them, and then raised his hand. "FIRE!"

A worm caught on fire, and it let out a squeak of pain. It skittered around frantically and ran into its companion, igniting it in the flames as well. They both fell over and burned, their legs still twitching.

The last worm, who was younger than the other two, started to back away, reconsidering its options. But Garrett wasn't going to let that happen. As the young worm started to turn around, the Lilty ran over. The worm let out a squeal of terror and ran in the opposite direction. Garrett ran up next to it and slashed it viciously in the side. The worm fell over and joined its companions in the afterlife.

"Garrett…you didn't need to do that," said Star, looking at the dead worm sympathetically. "It would've left us alone."

"You don't know that for sure," said Garrett.

"Sadly, I have to admit Garrett has a point," said Lia. Garrett didn't know whether that was a compliment or an insult, so he just remained silent.

As the group trekked on, they reached a long, dark tunnel that was covered with glowing mushrooms.

"I can sense the myrrh tree," murmured Creston. "We're close."

After he was finished speaking, two hell plants burst from the ground, and an Ahriman swooped down. A Gremlin hopped over to join the fray.

"Shoot! We'll have to split up!" said Sam. "Garrett, Nieta, and Ray, come with me. Star, Lia, Creston, and Mika, you guys stay back here and deal with this. We'll get the myrrh and come back to help you."

Lia nodded. "Okay. You should be safe, as the myrrh tree is so close. Go!"

The chosen four moved on, while the others held the monsters at bay.

**0000000000000000**

Sam looked around. They were in a clearing. He noticed a small green creature in the middle, and just beyond that, the Myrrh tree. They continued to walk forward, when the green creature growled.

"What is that thing?" asked Garrett.

"A Marlboro," said Sam. "They're plant creatures, but not so dangerous. I don't know as much about them as Lia or Creston, but I think we can take it easily."

The creature continued to growl and then it started making odd noises. At the same time, energy seemed to flow from the mushroom to the monster. With a loud cry, the Marlboro swelled to a massive size.

Ray glared at Sam.

"Not so dangerous, eh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Sam gave him an apologetic look.

"Let's do this!" shouted Garrett, rushing forward. At the same time, Nieta and Ray both took out two Hell plants that had emerged upon the start of the battle. Meanwhile, Garrett was striking the main threat with all of his might.

"Take that!" he shouted. "AND THAT! AND SOME OF THIS TOO!"

The Marlboro let out a furious roar. Its roots appeared out of the ground and knocked Garrett back. At the same time, Nieta rushed forward. She then thrust her spear, not at the Marlboro, but into the ground. She flung herself in the air like she was doing a pole vault, and hurtled toward the monster. She landed on its head, and began to slash at its eyes. The Marlboro cried out. He shook her off into the air. Nieta stared. The Marlboro took a deep breath. Green drool trickled out of his mouth.

"NIETA! LOOK OUT! HOLD YOUR BREATH!" shouted Sam in alarm. At the same time, the Marlboro breathed a deadly blast of poison.

Ray rushed into the fray. He sent some projectiles flying into the Marlboro. It roared at him, in pain and fury.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" laughed Ray. "C'mon, is that it?" He jumped away from attacking roots, and dodged a second blast of poison. "You call yourself a monster?"

Despite the serious situation, Nieta raised an eyebrow at Ray. _'Wasn't he just suffering pain from miasma or something? How'd he get better so quick?'_

Ray aimed another aura blast at the Marlboro. It didn't seem to care. "What's the matter? Given up?" asked Ray with a cocky smirk. A moment later, he realized how wrong he was. As he tried to move, he found his body had been struck by a slow spell.

"DAMNIT!" he yelled- and then he noticed a violet and black spell circle under him.

"Uh-oh," he said. The Marlboro unleashed its curse spell on the hapless Selkie. It then swatted him aside with its root.

Sam ran forward, his sword in his hand. He struck the Marlboro many times before he drew back again. Then he rushed forward once more.

The Marlboro was ready for him. It let out a blast of poison gas that covered Sam. Nieta watched, stunned.

"NO! SAM!" she cried. Garrett looked over at the spot Sam had disappeared into.

"No…no way," he muttered, still holding off some roots.

The Marlboro let out a victorious screech. Then, it was cut off by a gurgling noise. The creature looked down to find Sam's sword imbedded in its stomach. At the same time, Ray had aimed a projectile in its throat.

The Marlboro's victory screech turned into a screech of terror. It writhed and shook in pain before it fell over. A sickly green goo dripped out of its mouth, as the same green slime engulfed the monster, dissolving it.

"We…we did it," panted Ray. Sam nodded, and let out a breath.

"Thank god I can hold my breath long, or that poison would've killed me," he muttered.

"Well, looks like you did a good job," came a voice. The tired four looked over to find Creston walking down towards them. "But you guys look like you've been beat."

"We missed the party?" asked Mika.

"Party, whatever, let's just get the myrrh and go," said Garrett, taking the chalice. He walked up towards the tree and held the chalice in his hands. A drop of myrrh fell into the chalice, filling it up two-thirds of the way.

"Only one more left," said Lianora.

"Yep," said Ray.

Soon, the mail moogle arrived baring letters from home (again, Creston not receiving a letter). For the most part, the letters bared good news, although Lia's father burnt his hand, and Star's mother got her foot broken when the cow accidentally stepped on it. Garrett, meanwhile, was annoyed when he received a loaf of bread as a gift from his dad.

The group chose what treasures they would keep, and got up to leave. As they did however, Garrett and Sam fell over, and Nieta moved slowly as though she was exhausted. Ray, on the other hand, moved at a normal pace, but his eyes showed his weariness.

"As I thought," said Lia. "You guys were close enough to the tree to not be affected by miasma, but the Marlboro you guys fought must've got you anyway. Stronger monsters carry more miasma, so he must've hit you with it while he was attacking. You'll be fine once we return to the caravan."

With that, the caravanners left the clearing, leaving the empty myrrh tree and the luminous mushrooms behind.

**00000000000000000000000000**

This took a long time to type, but I had fun with this chapter. My personal favorite parts are when everyone wakes up to the morning chaos, when Ray runs up the mushroom, and Nieta's pole vaulting. XD

As for the characters themselves…as you can probably guess, there will be romance between them. But not for a while. I'll most likely keep it interspecies. But to give you a hint on WHEN the romance comes, I'll just say that the first ones to succumb to it will be the Clavats…and they probably won't be together until Selepation Cave or Daemon' Court.

Next Chapter: The town of trade, Marr's Pass! And a certain character's story will be revealed through his rage.


	6. Marr's Pass, Garrett's Rage

Here comes another chapter, right at ya! This one is dedicated to Marr's Pass. I said a certain character is going to have some development here. Well now you find out the answer (although the Chapter Title gives it away). If you haven't figured it out, the answer is Garrett.

Another thing-I tend to update about every 2 weeks, but that may change soon. I should be able to start updating more often. Yay!

Also…review, please! I need opinions and ideas for this story, so they would be really helpful! Thanks!

Well, anyhow, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

**00000000000000000000000**

The group left the fungi of Mushroom Forest behind, and joined their caravan again. Creston took the reins and began to steer the caravan along. Sam looked at the map.

"Well…Marr's Pass is just ahead, so I think we should take a break. Who agrees?" he asked. Everyone agreed.

Sam let out a relieved sigh. Everyone seemed to get along a bit better after the battles during the Mushroom Forest. It was good news to him; he probably wouldn't have to break up another fight anytime soon.

As the caravan moved on, Creston called to them that another caravan was coming. Sam looked out. They were all friendly looking Clavats. They were most likely the caravan from the Fields of Fum. Sam hopped out to greet them.

"Hello, fellow caravanners," said the leader, a black-haired female. "How are your travels going?"

"Good," Sam replied, nodding to them. "And yours?"

"We're just on our way to collect our third drop of myrrh," said one of the male members.

"What a coincidence-so are we," said Lianora.

"Well, we have to get going, but we wish you luck," said the first Clavat. "In fact, take some of these striped apples. We have extras, so you might as well have them. We insist."

Sam was about to politely refuse, but then Ray hopped out of the caravan, ran up, and took the striped apples in his hands.

"God bless you, woman," said Ray, a radiant grin on his face as he ran back into the caravan. The female Clavat's eyes followed him, amused and confused at the same time.

"Well…so long then," said Creston. With that being said, the two caravans parted ways.

**000000000000000000000000000000**

After a while, Garrett took the reins. Creston, meanwhile, was plotting there course. The other six caravanners crowded around him.

"So…after our stay at Marr's Pass," Creston was saying," we head to the Mine of Cathuriges. "

"Where's that?" asked Nieta.

"Right here," said Creston, pointing to his map. "It is the closest place to us, as it is also in the Iron Mine Downs."

"Iron Mine Downs?" asked Garrett from the front.

"The name of the area we are in," answered Lianora. "It is named after iron, as the Mine of Cathuriges and the Blacksmithing town of Marr's Pass are both in this area. Up beyond the northern Miasma stream is the Vale of Alfitaria. It is named after the large Lilty town of Alfitaria."

Nieta shifted a bit at the mention of Alfitaria.

"Also in the Vale of Alfitaria," continued Creston ",is Moschet Manor. We won't have to go there until next year, though. The only other notable area in the Vale is…Tida."

The effect of that one word was astonishing. Garrett's hands slipped a little on the reins, and Nieta let out a small hiccup. Star's eyes widened, and Mika looked uneasy. Ray frowned and Sam tensed a little bit. Lianora remained calm, but her hand trembled for a minute.

They all knew about the downfall of Tida. Although they had never been there, it was a story among their village. How Tida had been destroyed, exactly, was unknown. But now they all realized that if they failed in their quest, then their village and families would wind up just like that. Even though they wouldn't have to go there until later, they all were already tense in anticipation.

"Anyways," said Lia, breaking the silence. "We go to Veo Lu. Up there is the Veo Lu Sluice, which flows into the Jegon River. Also there is the Yukeish village of Shella, which rests on Lake Shella."

Behind his mask, Creston's eyes darkened at the mention of Shella.

"Then there are other areas," said Lianora. "There are the Kilanda Islands, and the Lynari Isle. But we'd need a boat to get there. Also, across the Jegon River lie two more areas. One is the Plains of Fum. In there are the Fields of Fum, the windy Selepation cave, and Daemon's Court."

"And beyond there," said Creston. "Lay the Rebena Plains. Unlike most of the areas we've discussed, there are no cities in there. The Rebena Plains are dark, drenched in Miasma. And the two areas that are there are very perilous indeed. One is Conall Curach."

Ray's eyes widened for a split second, before going back to normal. But one of his fists remained clenched.

"The other is Rebena Te Ra," said Lianora. Everyone glanced at each other. "A fearsome place as well."

"But anyways, let's get off the topic of what we're GOING to do," said Creston. "We should be arriving at Marr's Pass soon."

"We're here!" shouted Garrett. The caravan rode into town.

**000000000000000000000**

As the group strolled into Marr's Pass, they formed their plan.

"Right…so if we're going to stay the night here, I'll reserve an inn for us," offered Creston.

"Alright," said Sam. "I'll go buy supplies."

Lia walked up to him. "I'll come with you." Sam nodded.

Star looked over at Mika. "I'm going to search for supplies too. Wanna come with me?"

Mika nodded, smiling. "Sure!" After Star had turned away, Mika smirked. She wasn't planning on buying anything. "Borrowing" would be a better word.

Garrett strode off at a leisurely pace. "I'm gonna go buy a better weapon." Nieta followed him.

Ray looked around. "I'm gonna-," he began, then noticed that no one else was with him. "Never mind…I'll just go walk around or something."

And so he set off.

**00000000000000000000**

Sam and Lia walked through the crowds, searching for a merchant. They only found one. And it was a Selkie. Sam and Lia exchanged a look. This would've been a suitable job for Ray or Mika, but not for a Clavat or a Yuke. Still, they needed supplies. They hesitantly walked over.

"Hello friends," said the merchant, with a grin. "What would you like."

Sam and Lia browsed through the supplies. Eventually, they bought what they had needed.

"That'd be about 1000 gil," said the Selkie merchant. Lia and Sam split the price and left**.**

"Suckers," muttered the Selkie. "All that stuff was about worth 600 gil."

As they walked away, Sam turned to Lia.

"Do you think he tricked us?" asked Sam.

"No…despite stereotypes, not all Selkies are thieves," replied Lia. It was a pity that she wasn't right about that Selkie back there.

**0000000000000000**

Mika and Star moved on through the crowds. Star was walking by a bench, when she suddenly felt someone grab her butt. She yelped in alarm, and whirled around. Mika looked with her.

There was an old man, eating a gourd potato. He looked at the two curiously.

"Why hello there, young ladies," he said. "What are you lookin' for? Can I be of any help?"

Star looked at him, then looked around. Finally she shook her head and left with Mika. The old man grinned.

"Heh…I managed not to get caught again," he whispered.

Mika glanced at Star. "What happened back there?"

Star shook her head. "Nothing."

As they walked on, Mika heard whistling. Not like whistling a tune, though. More like obnoxious whistling. She turned and found the source of the noise.

There, over by a wall, were a group of boys. Two Selkies, two Clavats, and a Lilty. They were all grinning at her.

"Hey there, cutie," called one of the Selkies. Mika rolled her eyes. "You got any plans?"

"Yeah, but not with you!" she shouted back at them. Star looked back and watched the spectacle.

"Aw, don't be like that!" shouted the Lilty.

"Yeah, you can invite your friend there and everything!" called one of the Clavats.

Mika smacked her forehead in frustration. She needed to get rid of these idiots. Suddenly, she caught Ray reading a map, walking through the crowd (what was strange was that he was holding it upside down). A devious idea formed in her mind. She leaped over, grabbed his shoulder and pulled back towards where Star was trying to ignore the persistent boys.

"Oh Ray!" she said in lovey-dovey tone. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Uh…what?" asked Ray, looking at her as if she was crazy. Mika threw her arms around him.

"I can't believe it! You would just vanish without telling me," said Mika, winking at him. "A boyfriend shouldn't do that to his girl, you know?"

"Boyfriend?" asked Ray. Mika winked at him again. He finally caught on.

"Boyfriend!? Aw man!" shouted one of the Selkies. Meanwhile, one of the Clavats snuck up behind Star and groped her chest.

Big mistake.

Star whirled around and punched the smirking boy in the face. He stumbled backwards, blood spilling from his nose, before falling unconscious.

The other boys backed off. "Let's get out of here!"

As soon as they were gone, Mika removed her arms. "Thanks Ray. You were a big help."

"What, no more hugging? Doesn't a girl usually hug her boyfriend?" asked Ray mockingly.

"You know for a fact I only did that to get rid of them!" she said indignantly.

"I think Star's method worked better," Ray said bluntly. "I'm heading off, but if you ever want a date, come find me."

He gave her one last smirk before disappearing into the crowd. Mika stamped her foot.

"He saves me from miasma, we become friends, and then he goes and does this? I hate him!"

**0000000000000000**

Garrett walked up to the Lilty blacksmith and handed him a scroll that he had found.

"Can you make me this?" he asked. The blacksmith nodded.

"Do you have the materials and can you pay?" he asked. Garrett threw some money on the table and handed him materials.

Nieta caught up to him. "There you are! It's hard keeping up with you, y'know?"

"Not my fault," said Garrett. He turned around and took his new weapon.

"Wait a minute, okay?" Nieta asked. "I'm gonna get my weapon a tune up."

"Make it quick. Creston will flip out on us if we're late," Garrett responded. As he waited, he looked at the blacksmith working. If only his own father was a Blacksmith. But no. His father was a miller. He wasn't a warrior, or had nothing to do WITH warriors. Garrett was a bit ashamed. He suddenly spotted something gleaming on the blacksmith's chest. It was a badge with the Lilty symbol on it. It was gold, and a red ribbon hung off it. Garrett then realized something. His father had a badge exactly like that, but gold.

"What's that" he questioned the blacksmith, curious. The blacksmith looked up.

"This? It's a badge. It was given out to those who served in the Lilty army during one of our wars."

"You were in the army?" asked Garrett, surprised.

"I was, but I'm too old for that stuff now," explained the blacksmith. "Although I was just a mercenary, I still received this bronze badge for my valor and bravery. Although bronze is the lowest level badge you receive. Why are you so interested?"

"My dad back at home has a badge just like that," said Garrett. "Only it's gold."

"A gold badge?" asked the blacksmith. "Kid, that's the highest level badge you can receive! If memory serves me right, only about 5 people got them."

"A-are you saying…my dad is a warrior?" asked Garrett incredulously. "That's impossible! He's just a dumb miller!"

"I suppose after such an experience in the army, he would want to settle down…," said the blacksmith thoughtfully.

Garrett stared down at his weapon. Disbelief flowed through his mind, which turned to anger, which turned to furious rage.

_He lied to me! He's been lying to me my whole life!_

The blacksmith handed Nieta back her weapon. "Here ya go miss."

Nieta paid him, and left with Garrett. It was time they returned to the inn where Creston was.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Nieta opened her eyes as she heard a noise. Everyone else was asleep. Star was murmuring in her sleep and Ray was snoring loudly. Creston let out an occasional mumble or two. Nieta looked around. Garrett's bed was empty. She heard a distant noise again. She walked outside.

She looked around, then followed the noise again. She looked around the corner, towards the exit of the village. She saw Garrett there.

"DAMNIT!" he yelled, slashing at a tree with his spear. Nieta looked over. Several other trees bore nasty slash marks in them. "HE LIED TO ME! DAMNIT!"

Nieta turned to step away, but stepped on a branch. Garrett turned at the noise.

"Who's there?" he asked. Nieta walked out.

"What do you want?" he muttered.

"Well, you hear someone swearing at three in the morning, you get worried," said Nieta logically. Garrett glanced at her.

"Smart as always," he grumbled, sitting down.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing that has to do with you," came the annoyed reply. "Go back to bed."

"Tell me," she urged.

"No," he refused stubbornly.

"If you don't tell me, I'll tell the others, and they'll MAKE you tell."

Garrett glared at her. "You wouldn't," he snarled.

"Try me," came the retort.

"Fine," he growled. "You win. Remember that blacksmith dude?" She nodded.

"Well…I found out from him that my father was one of the best warriors in the army. But now he's just a dumb miller. My dad was great! He could still be great! But no, now he's just making BREAD!" At that last word, he chucked his spear at a tree, embedding it deep in the wood.

"He's been lying to me," Garrett muttered. "Lying to me for 16 years."

Nieta looked at him for a moment, studying him closely. Then she reached out and patted him on the shoulder. Garrett whipped his head in alarm, then relaxed.

"There there," she said. "Calm down. You're gonna raise the dead with all that yelling. Your father must've had a good reason to have quit fighting. You can ask him when you return home."

"If we return home," growled Garrett.

"When," said Nieta. Garrett looked at her.

"Alright you win," he said, getting up. "I'm going back to bed."

"Alright," said Nieta, getting up as well. Garrett walked ahead of her, marching back to the inn.

He stopped. "Hey, Nieta?"

The Lilty perked up. "Yes?"

"Uh…well…thanks."

Nieta smiled as he walked into the inn, closing the door behind him.

"No problem," she said, heading back to bed as well.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Another chapter is now done! Yay.

Personal favorite parts are: The beginning, when they are looking at the map, and the Yukes give a history lesson.

When Star punches the perverted boy in the face.

The Lilty scene with Garrett's anger in the morning.

This chapter wasn't really meant to be a serious chapter or a parody. I just threw in some little things in the beginning (The merchant and the boys). But then I tried to make it a bit more deep with Garrett's story being revealed more. Also, before you ask, Nieta does not have a crush on him. YET. We shall save the romance for later, yes? Nieta is just friendly and trying to help out, is all. I picked Nieta NOT because she was another Lilty. I picked her because she is a light sleeper (making her the most likely one to wake up) and because I wanted it to be a female character (I considered using Lianora in her place).

Next up: The Mine of Cathuriges! I may split it up into shorter chapters because it's a long course Just FYI.

Sam: And because the author wishes to express his desire for reviews in a polite way, he has left me to give you the message. Please review, everyone!


	7. Deep within the fiery furnace

Another chapter, WOO! This time we shall explore the MINE OF CATHURIGES! *DUN DUN DUN*

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Mika woke up yawning, and stretching. She glanced around the room. Star and Ray were both still asleep. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and glanced at a clock. It was late morning. She got out of bed and walked downstairs.

When she got there, she found the others all eating breakfast. A plate of toasted bannock was on the table. Mika sat down and helped herself to some.

"G'mornin' Mika," said Nieta, yawning. The Lilty girl looked like she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.

"Good morning," Mika responded. She took a bite of the toast. "This is really good! Who made it?"

"The chef you're looking for is over there," said Lia, pointing to the head of the table. Mika looked and saw Garrett, who now had a scowl on his face.

"Yeah, yeah…no matter how much I hate it, I know everything about bread. Even how to cook it," he muttered crossly.

Creston rolled his eyes behind his sallet. "She wasn't insulting you, moron."

"SHUT UP, BEAK BOY!" shouted Garrett, making a reference to the beak-like quality of Creston's helm.

"Anyways, after we're done with breakfast and packing up, we'll get out of here," said Creston, ignoring the fuming Lilty.

Everyone nodded, and they went back to their breakfast.

…

"Y'know, Garrett, this IS really good. Have you ever considered being a cook when you grow up?"

"ARGH! SHUT UP CRESTON!"

00000000000000000000000000000

At about noon, the caravan left Marr's Pass. Star was now awake, but Ray was still snoring as he lied down in the back of the caravan. Nieta took the reins and the caravan left the blacksmithing village behind.

Sam sat up next to Nieta, watching the road ahead of them.

"Are you sure you're alright to take the reins?" he asked.

Nieta whipped around her head and glared at him. "Why wouldn't I be? Because I'm a girl?" she demanded hotly.

"No, not at all!" said Sam quickly, putting up his hands in defense. "It's just…you look tired. You can always go to the back of the caravan and sleep like Ray."

"I'm fine," said Nieta, her hostility gone. "I just didn't get much sleep, but it won't be a problem. Thanks for worrying though. Plus, I'd rather be awake. That way I don't seem lazy like Ray."

"Sorry, what was that? I heard my name up here," came a voice from behind the two. They turned and saw Ray awake, rubbing his eyes.

"What was that Nieta? Something about me being lazy or something?" he asked.

"Not at all Ray, not at all," Nieta lied, turning to face the road again.

**0000000000000000000000000**

"We're here!" yelled Nieta, and the caravan pulled to a halt.

Everyone hopped out of the carriage. They looked at their next, and final, stop for the year.

The abandoned mine was dark and dreary looking. The caravan couldn't even imagine what it would look like inside.

"Are we all ready?" asked Sam. Everyone checked their pockets and nodded.

"Well then, let's go!" shouted Mika. She raced into the mine and everyone else followed behind the running Selkie.

**00000000000000000**

"Whoa…," said Ray, as he looked on in awe.

The others remained silent, but Ray's "Whoa" summed up all their responses to the inside of the mine. The cavern was covered in a warm, dim light caused by lanterns with bombs inside. They saw abandoned mine carts all around, some broken and some still complete. They could hear a distant clang of metal, and they could feel the heat from within. All of it was intimidating, but also fascinating.

They began to move forward.

"It's amazing that all of this old technology still remains here," said Creston, pointing to the lanterns and the railroads. "I would've expected it all to be broken or obsolete by now. But it still looks like new."

"And so do those," said Star, pointing. The group turned to see two large, muscular green creatures. They wore helmets and had large axes, as well as spears. Above them, a flaming ball-shaped creature floated, its face lit up by a ghastly smile.

"Orcs…," muttered Sam.

"And a bomb," added Nieta.

The orcs glanced over at the sound of voices. The bomb perked up as well, and its grin seemed to widen. The orcs let out low, gurgling chuckles and started to run towards the eight caravanners, running along the railroad tracks.

Ray glanced at a mine cart, still on the tracks, and had an idea. He stepped over to the cart, raised his foot and kicked it. The car flew towards the oncoming monsters, and ran into one of the orcs. It let out a loud grunt and was knocked back by the car. The car kept moving as if it hadn't even hit anything.

Both the travelers and the monsters stopped and watched the spectacle for a moment. Then they all remembered that they were supposed to be fighting. With a battle cry, the orc and bomb continued their march towards them.

Star ran forward and struck the orc a glancing blow. She tried again, but the orc blocked it with its shield.

"Girl weak," the orc rumbled, letting out a low noise which might have been a laugh. It swung down its axe and Star barely managed to block it in time. Star felt herself being pushed back by the orc.

_Such strength_, she thought. _It's keeping me down with just one arm. These guys are way tougher than the other baddies we've faced so far._

The orc then let out a gasping growl. It fell over. Star looked up and found Mika there.

"Guh…cheap shot," gasped out the orc with its last breath. It let out another growl and then died.

"Tough luck," said Mika. "You obviously don't know us Selkies well enough."

Meanwhile, Nieta was stabbing at the bomb furiously with her spear. It dodged once, then twice, then stopped to make a taunting face at her.

SHUNK! Nieta impaled the creature on her spear. Its grin never leaving its face, the creature perished still on the spear. Nieta looked at it.

"Pesky little thing," she commented.

"Nieta!" shouted Lianora. "No! Get back!"

"What do you me-," began Nieta, but before she finished, the bomb glowed and exploded in a loud BANG. Flames erupted from the monster's round body. Nieta flew backwards into a wall, before slumping to the ground, moaning in pain.

Creston ran over. "Are you okay?!" he asked, examining her. The youngest caravanner shook her head. Her body was covered with ash and soot, her skin black and red from burns. She was still conscious but was trembling.

"Hold on," muttered the Yuke. Focusing, he cleared his mind and concentrated on casting his spell. "Clear."

The burns and flames vanished. Lia ran up to take over.

"Cure," she said, placing her hand on the girl's forehead. Her hand glowed green for a minute before Nieta shook her head.

"Thank Lia," Nieta said. "I feel better now. Those little things aren't called bombs for nothing!"

"We'll move on when you're ready," said Sam. Nieta looked over at him.

"I'm fine, let's go!"

The eight moved on until they came to a room. They saw an exit, guarded by two orcs, but the exit tunnel was covered with boxes. The orcs, on the other hand, did not notice them, but were too busy comparing the sizes of their axes.

"What do you think they're doing?" asked Mika, raising an eyebrow.

"They're not exactly bright," said Creston. "I think they're comparing the size of their weapons."

"I think that one on the left is saying "Mine's bigger"," said Ray.

After he said those words, Garrett let out a snort, and covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Mika let out a little laugh too, but managed to turn it into a cough. Creston glanced at Ray in disgust.

"The innuendo was not needed," said Creston. The orcs noticed all the noise, then turned and started charging down across the room towards them.

Garrett saw the mine cart. An idea formed in his head. He hopped in the mine cart, trying to ignore the orc from before's dead body.

"Ray! Come kick this thing for me!" he shouted. Ray glanced at him, then jogged over. Ray kicked the cart, and Garrett raced down the tracks, toward the oncoming orcs. He stuck out his spear and cut off one of their heads.

"WOO HOO!" he shouted, punching the air. Then he noticed the stack of crates blocking the exit of the cavern. The Lilty braced himself, but the cart destroyed the crates and continued into the next room.

Meanwhile, the other orc ran up to Lia. She held up her staff and cast a spell. The orc looked around, wondering what was going to happen. Then, the ceiling above him collapsed from Lia's gravity spell, crushing the poor orc under its weight.

Everyone rushed to the next room. They found two orcs and another creature attacking Garrett, who was blocking them, but not doing a good job. The new monster was very menacing in appearance. It had a long scraggly mane, and dark red skin. It wore simple, ripped clothes, and had large tusks, as well as small beady eyes. It carried a hammer in its hand. It was an ogre.

"Guys! I COULD USE A LIL' HELP HERE!" shouted Garrett. Sam ran forward and stabbed furiously at one of the orcs. It managed to block his blow, and swung its axe in retaliation. Sam blocked it with his own shield, and stabbed the orc in the ribs. And let out a howl of pain, and keeled over, clutching its side. Mika fought the second orc, whacking him swift and quickly. She eventually drove the creature into a corner. She looked up and saw a lamp above the monster, and shot an aura blast at it. The lamp fell down and the creature caught on fire, burning to death.

Ray and Nieta were fighting the ogre. Ray managed to hit it in the back twice, before the creature whacked him away. Ray tumbled across the tracks and bumped into the mine cart. The mine cart rolled along at the force of the collision, and smashed through another stack of crates, revealing a new doorway.

"Pests," rumbled the ogre. "Punished." He swung his hammer at Nieta, who ducked and hit him in the legs. The ogre fell on his back, and Star leaped in the air and stabbed the beast in the chest. The ogre roared in fury, before he let out a choking cough and died.

Everyone met at the center of the room.

"Damn thing," said Ray, glancing at the dead ogre. "He can't even make a sentence with more than one word, and he STILL can beat the shit out of me."

"Well he's dead now," said Creston. "Let's move on."

They entered the next room. They were met by a large curving track, as well as 3 orcs, a bomb, and an ogre.

"ATTACK!" roared the ogre. The bombs flew forward. Mika and Ray glanced at each other, nodded, and launched aura blasts at the creatures. The bombs flew backwards into two of the orcs and exploded. The orcs flew backwards, and hit the wall, both hitting the ground with a painful "thud".

The ogre ran forward, but Sam and Creston were ready for it. Sam cast a haste spell on Creston, who used Blizzaga on the monster before it could come close. After Sam got over the aftereffects of the spell, he ran up and stabbed the creature through the ice. It didn't cry out, but Sam could tell by the way it twitched in the ice that it was dead. As its body was consumed by miasma, a key fell out of it. Creston picked it up. He glanced around and found a door. He placed the key in the lock, and the door opened.

Meanwhile, the last orc, who seemed to be very young, looked scared stiff. He threw down his weapon and ran away, but Nieta hurled her spear at it. The weapon pierced through the orc and stuck itself in a wall, the orc still hanging on it, its fear still on its lifeless face.

Nieta retrieved her spear and looked at it sadly. This orc child was afraid to fight. Maybe not all monsters were as violent as they seemed. Leaving the corpse behind, Nieta and the others advanced deeper into the mine.

**0000000000000000000**

"And here I thought this place couldn't get any stranger," said Garrett, looking down uneasily.

"Strange? I think it's beautiful," said Lianora.

They had left the room before, and were now walking over a bunch of metal walkways, hanging over a river. It was dark, as they were still in the mine, but they couldn't see the ceiling, so when they looked up the top of the mine looked like the sky a bit.

As they moved on, they saw another exit to this area. Two orcs and a bomb guarded it. They turned at the sight of the caravanners.

"What!?" exclaimed one. "How? Other orcs guard room. How you get past?"

"They must cheated," growled the other one. "We must revenge." The bomb cackled wildly.

The second orc ran forward, swing his sinister axe over his head. The bomb rushed towards them as well, but the last orc remained where he was. He raised his weapon in the air, and started making low grunting noises.

Creston tensed in alarm. "Watch out! That one's a magic user!"

Too late. As Sam rushed forward to attack the oncoming enemies, a thunder bolt struck him, and he couldn't move. The chuckles of the orcs mixed with the screeching howls of the bomb. Mika glared at the flaming creature. She swung her racket and knocked the thing into a wall. It's laughter ceased, and it fell down into the river below, exploding as it hit the rushing water.

The first orc was getting ready to attack Sam, when Star sliced off its arms. The orc let out a painful howl, and fell to the ground. Garrett ran over and finished it off. As the mage tried to cast a spell on all three of them, Creston ran over to the orc and struck him with his hammer, and followed up with a fire spell to finish it off. As the final guard died, everyone stopped to rest. Garrett fell over on his back.

"Why do I feel so weak?" he asked.

"When you went flying on the mine cart, you left the chalice's barrier," said Creston. "Like Ray and Mika in the Mushroom Forest. So you're going to run out of steam quicker."

"Alright everyone," said Lia. "Come to me or Creston for a Cure spell. After everyone's better, we'll move on."

As soon as everyone was completely healed, they looked at the entrance to a new cavern. They could all sense the myrrh tree's presence. Everyone nodded and they all moved forward.

**00000000000000000000**

MUAHAHAHA! CLIFFHANGER! I divided this chapter up, like I said, because I don't have time to write the rest at the moment X_X. HOWEVER! I SHALL COMPLETE…Eventually.

Favorite parts in this: Breakfast time, Garrett chopping off heads, Ray's innuendo, and the part where Nieta gets bomb'd.

Next Chapter: The gang faces against the mighty Orc King! Will they survive? Or will they never see home again?


	8. Burning Battle: Tipa vs The Orc King

Finally! THE WAIT IS OVER! THE CLIMAX OF THE FIRST YEAR!  
The caravan gang shall face off against the mighty Orc King! Who also gives a history lesson. :D

Now is the time to point out something; my characters are actually going to kill the bosses (yes this a spoiler- Orc King dies). Not all of them. Just the official ones (for example, the Orc King and Armstrong are official, but the Marlboro and the Cave Worm aren't- they're just ordinary monsters). So basically, the caravanners are never really going to return to the Mine.

Also, I'm giving the bosses some personality as well (the way I would see them, at least).

Let's get started, shall we?

**000000000000000000000000**

The team stepped into a cavern. The walls were lit up by the makeshift lanterns. A doorway stood ahead, and even from the distance they were at, everyone could see the blue glow of the myrrh tree.

"Well, that was easy," said Garrett, striding towards the doorway with a confident stride.

"That's it; we're jinxed," said Creston, smacking his head in frustration.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Garrett, but before Creston could make a stinging retort, a rumble echoed around the cavern. As everyone lost their balance for a bit, an enormous creature dropped down from above. It was an orc, a gigantic orc. Its skin was reddish orange, and it had bright, bright eyes. It wore a helmet with spikes and battle armor. Its teeth were long and sharp looking, and in one hand it held an axe. In the other hand was a large staff.

Creston shot Garrett an "I told you so" look.

"Holy crap," said Ray.

"What is that thing?" asked Star.

"Thing?!" roared the monster. "Fools! I am mighty Orc King!"

"Yeah, well…you still speak in fragments like all the other orcs," pointed out Mika bluntly. "What makes you so mighty?"

"Hmmph," growled the Orc King, his accented voice low and gravelly. "For your information, I speak in that manner because most orcs don't understand big words. Also, using complete sentences makes things take longer. But you shouldn't just assume that I have a speech impediment."

"Point taken," said Mika.

"As for mightiness," continued the king, returning to his orc speech pattern. "I largest orc of all. I rule mine with iron fist! And I guard tree."

"Well, we need the tree," said Sam. "So can we make a deal? We'll take the myrrh and go."

"Deal?" said the orc incredulously, letting out a rumbling laugh afterward. "Farming-fool. You come in my mine, kill all my troops, and you want deal? That so stupid, it's funny! But even so, I don't make deal or give you tree."

"Why do the monsters guard the stinkin' tree anyway?" asked Garrett hotly.

The Orc King turned his gaze towards him. "We need tree as much as you do, grass-head."

Nieta drew her weapon. "Doesn't matter…we need the tree, too! And we'll take what we need."

"Well, you are free to take myrrh," said the monster. "If can." The monster leaped down in the center of the battlefield, brandishing his weapons. "Farming-fools, grass-heads, mask-mages, and thief-hearts. No matter what tribe you from, I kill all! You may have beaten Giant Crab and Marlboro plant, but they fools, unlike me!"

"Wait…how do you know them?" asked Lia, shocked.

"We met," said the king. "But not by travel. Another allow mighty monsters to meet."

"What do you mean?" demanded Lianora.

"It no matter. You die anyway," the Orc King said.

The Orc King let out a deafening battle cry, and he ran forward, two smaller orcs joining him in his onslaught. He swung his axe in a wide arc that managed to knock everyone who was hit back. The wind caused by the swing blew all the others away from the battling king.

"Shoot! Be careful, guys!" shouted Sam.

"That no stop me!" shouted the king.

One of the orcs ran forward, swinging his axe at Sam. Sam ducked from the blow, and swung his sword at the orc's legs. The orc's legs were severed, and he fell over, howling in agony. Sam finished the creature off, then turned his attention back to the Orc King.

"Sam!" shouted Creston. "Watch out!" Sam glanced below and saw a red fiery targeting ring beneath him. Sam leaped out of the ring, as the King swung his club and the ring burst into flames.

"He knows magic…he's strong in both physical strength and magical strength," muttered Lia, glancing up at the monster. Meanwhile, Creston was now dealing with the other orc. The creature charged toward him. Creston held up his arms, muttered some words, and a Blizzaga spell struck the creature down. It let out a long, low groan before it fell to its knees and died.

"Grrr…more of my men taken out," snarled the Orc King. "Now this personal!"

The Orc King ran toward the nearest caravanner, which happened to be Star. He swung his axe down at her. Star held up her shield, but the King knocked it aside easily. He then swung his club and struck Star across the face, sending her sprawling across the room.

"Star!" shouted Sam.

"She'll be fine; focus on this guy!" shouted Ray. Ray rolled behind the giant orc and aimed an aura blast at him. The King was hit directly in the lower back.

"Gah!" the King roared, but before he had time to react, Nieta ran up and slashed him across the stomach. Dark green blood poured out of the wound, as the Orc King let out a loud, painful roar. He knocked Nieta back, as Ray continued to aim blasts at him. The Orc King swung his weapons wildly in irritation and aggravation.

"Graaaaagh….SCUM!" roared the King. The King swung his club and hit Ray with a fire blast. Ray cringed for just a moment, and that was all the time the King needed. He swung his axe and knocked Ray right up into the ceiling of the cavern.

"Ugh…scum…he's one to talk," Ray managed to gasp out, as he fell down.

"Someone get him!" yelled Creston. Mika hopped over and caught the male Selkie before he hit the ground. Ray grinned up at her.

"Alright; we're even for the Marr's Pass dilemma," he joked, making a reference to the flirtatious boys of the Blacksmithing city. Mika rolled her eyes, and helped him to his feet.

"Sheesh, is there ever a time when you're serious?" she asked sarcastically.

"Believe it or not, right now!" Ray said, pushing Mika suddenly. At the same time, the Orc King's axe struck the ground right where the Selkies once were.

"Now you owe me again," teased Ray, before rushing back into the fray.

Meanwhile, the others were slowly bringing the ferocious warrior king down. Creston dodged a fire blast and launched a Blizzaga at the King, who roared in pain. At the same time, Garrett ran up with Star, and both of them stabbed the Orc King, one in the stomach, and one in the shoulder.

"Gurgh…," muttered the King, panting. "Not bad. Hardest battle I fight in while. But now…time to finish. Here my trump card!"

The orc king began to glow with a bright golden-yellow light. As the warriors struck him, he didn't seem to notice. His face lit up with a disgusting, toothy smile. Creston and Lianora watched from afar while casting spells.

"What could he be up to?" asked Lia out loud. Meanwhile, the gears in Creston's brain were turning as he tried to figure out the evil King's strategy. He sensed the golden aura of light that surrounded the King.

Everything clicked.

"EVERYONE! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" shouted Creston in alarm at the top of his voice.

Everyone turned to face the Yuke. "Why?" asked Garrett. Creston smacked his head. Why did the headstrong Lilty always have to ask questions at inappropriate times?

"I recognize this aura!" shouted Creston. "It's extremely similar to the magic of the bombs when they are almost at their limit!"

Lia gasped in realization. "You're right! He's using the same desperation move as the bombs; he's almost reached his limit, so he's going to blow himself up- bringing us down with him!"

"It doesn't matter!" shouted the King, grinning with a crazed smile, as the glowing light grew more radiant. "If you spent more time attacking me, you might been able to kill me before I exploded. But it too late now! I going down- and you go down with me!"

"Everyone! Move to a corner of the cavern. Stay as far away as possible!" shouted Sam.

Everyone set off blindly toward the corners of the room, not being able to see because of the light. Soon, the only thing visible was the shining light in the center of the room.

The Orc King was trembling and shaking violently, and he growled, that kept growing louder with each passing second. Finally, he let out a roar, and the room was lit up by a fiery explosion. Everyone covered their eyes. The flash went on for a good 30 seconds.

And then finally, the brilliant light dimmed.

Star strained her eyes. Dust floated around the room, lift up by the force of the explosion. She then saw the Orc King, covered in soot and burns from head to toe. He was letting out rasping breaths and gasps. They both met eyes.

"W-what….?" He gasped out. "You…survived? But…that means I…f-failed…but…it over."

He let out a final, scratchy cough and fell over on his back. A choking, gurgling cry rose from his throat, then died, along with king of all orcs. He didn't get up, and slowly, his body began to be consumed by miasma.

"We…we did it!" yelled Star. The dust floating around finally settled.

"That's nice…," muttered Garrett next to her, scratching his hair tuft.

"Any injuries?" called Star.

Nieta waved to them from another corner. "I'm okay!

Sam, emerged from another corner. "I'm here with Creston and Lia. We seem to be okay!"

Then Star noticed something…Creston was holding Lia in the corner. They were both conscious but they hadn't seemed to notice.

Lia perked up. "Oh, uh! Creston, I think we're okay now!" she said. Creston noticed where Lia was.

"Oh sorry. I noticed you tripped, so I picked you up on the way," explained Creston.

"Smooth," muttered Garrett. "No one would ever suspect Mr. Honor and Chivalry to ever do anything indecent."

"Guys! You okay?" came Mika's voice. Everyone turned to see her. She was waving toward them. Everyone just stared.

"Have you guys seen bandanna boy?" she asked. "I saw him running towards me but I don't know what happened."

No answer, but Garrett smiled, which turned to a smirk, which turned to a wide grin as he let out a weak laugh and slapped his forehead. Mika looked around in confusion. Then Garrett, still snickering, pointed down. Mika looked down.

Her eyes met Ray's as she realized that the elusive Selkie was literally right beneath her nose. His grin matched Garrett's. Mika got set to get up and ignore the situation.

"Hey, don't move, I kinda like this position," said Ray, smirking and leaning up to her. Mika blushed, in both embarrassment and fury.

_WHAM!_

Mika punched Ray right in the eye, knocking his head into the rocky ground. Mika got up and dusted herself off, and marched off towards the others. Ray followed at a distance, with a black eye, but he still had a grin on his face. He flashed Garrett a thumbs up.

"Are you that happy?" asked Garrett.

"Nah…I stole her wallet," said Ray, as the group walked toward the myrrh tree.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Lia took the chalice from Mog and stared at the myrrh tree. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. The tree glowed and a drop fell down into the chalice.

…silence…

"WOOOOOOO!" shouted Garrett.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT!" shouted Star.

Everyone began jumping around and celebrating in delight. Star and Nieta hugged each other, Lia and Sam high-fived. Garrett punched the air, and even Ray and Mika grinned at each other. Creston actually lost all of his dignity and jumped around like everyone else.

They were done with their first year. They would finally return home.

**0000000000000000000**

FINALLY THE FIRST YEAR IS DONE!

The Orc King's little speech will come in later. Also, I like how I explained the orcs a little.

I imagined the Orc King to have a bit of an ego, and be proud of his strength.

Next Chapter: THE FESTIVAL! And then, the next year of peace in Tipa.


	9. Festivities and Dancing

Well I don't know what to say…I guess that another Chapter is up. :P

This is going to be a fairly short chapter, as it's only the festival, which usually takes 6-7 minutes at the most.

This Chapter covers the Festival! :D YAY!

**000000000000000000000000**

It was night. And it was dark in the village of Tipa.

The village was alight with torches as the families made their way to the center of the village, where the crystal lay.

Creston was handing Roland the crystal chalice. Roland took it and set it on a rock in front of the crystal. Creston took a torch and returned to stand next to the others as they watched Roland perform the ceremony. Roland opened his book and started to speak the magic words. Finally, the elderly Clavat waved his hand and spoke one last word.

The Crystal emitted a brilliant light and the myrrh flowed into the Crystal. Everyone watched as the chalice was emptied of its contents. When the crystal finally stopped absorbing the myrrh, there was complete silence.

The next minute everything changed. Music began to play from a band featuring all four of the tribes. All of the families danced around the glowing crystal, its luminous light brightening up the entire village. The Clavats did their little jig, the Lilties hopped around, the Yukes were twirling gracefully, while the Selkies were doing back flips. Even a few moogles, Stiltzkin included, were present, moving to the tune of the band's music.

Sam was dancing next to Star, their faces bright with smiles after they had returned to their wonderful home. They both weren't the greatest dancers in the world but they were having fun. That's what mattered, right?

Nieta and Mika were at a table eating, hungry after dancing. They ate heartily, enjoying the cheerful atmosphere around them, as they watched adults and kids alike dance joyfully around the crystal.

Lianora, meanwhile, was reading from the diary of the caravan, to some of the younger children. Creston heard the enthusiasm and joy in her voice as he looked on. The children's eyes glowed with wonder as they imagined the thought of goblins, Hell Plants, and Giant Crabs. Creston turned and walked up to the cliff of the town that hung over the ocean. He wasn't really a party person.

Garrett and Ray were both dancing and singing loudly. Mika wondered why they were both so cheerful, until she realized they were drunk. She stomped over with Nieta and yanked both boys away from the glowing crystal.

"Just because it's a party doesn't mean you're allowed to drink underage!" shouted Nieta.

"Well, your younger siblings don't seem to mind that rule so much," said Ray matter-of-factly.

Nieta and Mika whipped their heads around to see Mika's younger brother and Nieta's younger sister reaching for some bottles on a table. The two girls rushed over.

"You're not old enough to drink!" scolded Mika.

"But I've only had two!" protested her brother. Mika smacked her forehead in frustration.

**0000000000000000000000**

Creston sat at the top of the cliff, watching the ocean, still listening to the joyful shouts from back down at the party.

The others hadn't realized it, but actually, they had only about 2 weeks left before they would've ran out of time. And 2 weeks wasn't a long time. If they hadn't returned soon, their town would've become just like Tida.

"We have to work harder next time," Creston murmured. "The village needs us to protect them."

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

A Lilty was down by the mill, getting some bread to bring up to the party. He scratched his head for a moment, but then he heard a noise behind him. He turned and found another Lilty younger than him, giving him a hot glare.

"What do you want, son?" asked the first Lilty gruffly. "Unless you want to help me carry these up. An old man like me can't do it on his own."

"An old man who was a warrior could've," came Garrett's retort.

"How many times have I told you, I'm a miller and it's staying that way," said Garrett's father sighing. They used to always have this argument.

"Nice badge, dad," said Garrett, his eyes smoldering. "Who gave it to you? The commander of your forces, or who?"

Garrett's father sighed again. He knew this day would come eventually.

"So, dad," said Garrett, pacing slowly. "I thought that badge was only given to men in the army, and the golden color symbolizes a great warrior. But I don't see a great warrior in front of me. Only a dumb miller."

"A miller that WAS a warrior, and a miller that could beat your ass," came the reply.

"How could you just…LIE TO ME MY WHOLE LIFE!" shouted Garrett, his voice rising. "You could've been awesome, but now look at you! You threw it all away, damnit!"

"It was for a good reason!" his father shouted back.

"What reason then?" Garrett snarled.

"You," came the one word answer.

"What about me?" said Garrett, too shocked to yell.

Garrett's father wiped his forehead, and began to explain. "Times were hard back then, Garrett. Families were poor. And we weren't fighting monsters. We were fighting other tribes. If you were alive back then, you could've been fighting Ray, or Lianora for all you know."

Garrett gulped a little, uneasily. He hadn't thought of it like that.

"As I said, times were tough, and we weren't doing well. Your mom and I weren't wealthy, and she had a kid to take care of. But then well…something happened."

"What happened?" asked Garrett.

"She got pregnant with you," said his father. "And then I realized that she could never survive on her own with two kids. So I left the army to return home. Instead of protecting the Lilties, I decided to protect my own children instead…and the commander recognized that importance, and THAT'S why he gave me the badge. Not because of my fighting skills. But of my honor and duty to protect my family. He understood, and from that day on, I spent my days being a miller, but watching you and your brother grow up at the same time."

Garrett was too shocked to speak. He tried to form words but they didn't come out right. Soon he found his voice again.

"Th…that's the reason?" asked Garrett. "Because of…me…?" His father nodded.

Garrett walked past him. He leaned against his house. Then he spoke once more.

"I…I get it now…thanks, Dad, for telling me," said Garrett.

"No problem, kiddo," said his dad. "You've made me proud, that's for sure." He reached for the bread.

Garrett got up and walked over. "I'll help you with the bread."

The two smiled at each other. "That's my boy," said his father.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

Meanwhile, Sam and Star were dancing together still. Everyone else had stopped and was watching the two still going.

Nieta ran over. "Can I join you guys?"

"Sure!" said Sam. Nieta joined in the dance as well. Ray and Mika, who were eating, saw them and rushed over.

"Can't have a party without us," said Ray.

"Hey, Ray…dance with me," said Mika. Ray looked at her incredulously.

"Okay," he said, smirking. He walked towards her, and she put her arms on his waist.

"Hey Ray…," Mika began.

"Hmmm?"

Mika held up her wallet in her hand, smirking. In the other hand she held a striped apple. "Nice try."

She went back to join the others dancing. Ray smacked his forehead, both in disbelief and humor.

"Damn she's good," he said, before running over to join the others. He noticed Lianora had joined them as well.

Garrett appeared walking up towards the village with his dad, helping him. The Lilty warrior looked like he was in a considerably better mood than before. He looked at his dad, who nodded and took the bread from his hands, then gestured for him to go join the others. Garrett came over and joined them all.

Creston appeared walking down the slope, stretching. Lia caught sight of him.

"Creston! Come on, join us!" she said. Creston shook his head.

"I don't dance," he said. Lianora went over and grabbed him by the arm.

"Neither do I, so we're going to learn!" she said, dragging him towards the group.

All eight of the caravanners were now dancing in front of the crystal (even though Creston was doing so halfheartedly). As they danced under the stars, illuminated by the crystal, they forgot all the hardships they had gone through and celebrated joyfully. However, they hadn't realized it.

Their journey had only just begun.

But they didn't have to worry about that now. All they had to do was enjoy themselves, as the crystal glowed beneath the moonlit sky.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

First year done! WOO!

I think this chapter was good chapter. Note that this is probably one of the few festival chapters I'll do.

Garrett and his father have made up now. I think Garrett's character has been developed well enough for a bit.

A little spoiler: Next character to have a character development chapter is Nieta. First of all, no, I am not Lilty biased. But the two "Lilty villages" are the first two you go to. So Nieta will develop in Alfitaria, while Garrett in Marr's Pass (because it's a blacksmithing town, and blacksmiths are important to warriors). Also, I might do two characters in one chapter. Also, don't think "character chapters" will only occur in cities. Sam, Lia, and Ray are not going to have their character chapter in a village.

I know some stuff isn't accurate in this, but I tried to change it a bit (such as all eight of the caravanners holding torches, but only four hold them in the game).

And no, none of them are couples yet.

Next Chapter: Leaving the village again. But a startling discovery is made…

Nieta: And now it's my turn! Uh…review everybody! Do it! Do it now!


	10. The Grand Scheme of Things

New Chapter time, woo! This is basically going to be the time right before the group is set to leave the village again. However, Garrett, Creston, and Lianora discover a new threat in the Tipa Peninsula: Goblin Wall.

Note: This is basically going to skip over the caravan's inactive year, but I might not always do that. Just for your information.

ON WITH THE SHOW~  
**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Garrett took his weapon from the Yuke's hands. "Thanks, Lia!"

Lia smiled at him behind her armor. Garrett had been coming to her every week for the past year, getting his weapon checked or sharpened. Instead of pointing out the fact that they were on break and his weapon didn't need to be sharpened, the kind Yuke just humored the Lilty and did as he asked without protest.

Garrett, Lia, and Creston were all riding in the caravan together, going on a test ride. It would only be two more days before the caravan of Tipa left again in its journey to collect myrrh. But for now, they could just enjoy their little ride.

Creston sat at the front with the reins in his hand. Soon they would be leaving again.

"The years go by fast," he said. He stared out at the expanse of land before him. He could see the ocean in the distance, across the grassy meadows and fields. Trees littered the area, here and there. He could faintly see River Belle Path in the distance as well. Warm memories of the first year filled his head.

Suddenly, however, Creston caught sight of something different, something that had not existed the previous year. He turned the caravan and started to head towards it. He squinted at it. Finally, he noticed something; something bad. He took in a sharp breath.

"Lia! Garrett! Get out here!"

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Shock. That was the feeling as Creston, Lia, and Garrett stared at their new discovery.

"Whoa," said Garrett.

"Unbelievable," agreed Lia, her voice shaking. "To think monsters could do this…"

"We have to go back and warn the village," said Creston darkly. "They need to hear about this…"

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

"I win again," said Ray, grinning deviously.

Sam sighed. The Selkie was way too good at this game. Sam, Ray, and Star were all playing Go Fish. And so far, Sam had two pairs, Star had five, and Ray had 13. Of course, neither of the Clavats knew that the necklace Sam was wearing reflected his cards towards Ray, nor did Star know that she was "bleeding" (a.k.a, showing all of her cards to Ray by accident).

They had invited Nieta and Mika to play, but Mika was too busy doing chores, and Nieta was eating. So the two Clavats and the Selkie decided to play a good round of cards before they returned to their journey. Of course, if it had been Sam's choice, he wouldn't have invited Ray, seeing as this was a good opportunity to get to know Star more (without the Selkie's antics). Sam had been trying to spend his time equally with all of the caravanners, but he found most of his time to be spent with Lia and Star. Not that he didn't like the others; it's just how things went down.

Ray was about to ask if Star had another six, when his sharp hearing alerted him of the caravan returning. In a rush. Creston wasn't the kind of person to go over the speed limit. He hopped out of his chair, signaling for Sam and Star to follow, and he ran down to the entrance of the village, the Clavats at his heels.

Nieta was already down there, as the Tipa caravan rushed into the village, screeching to a halt. Families gathered around, coming out of their homes to gaze curiously at the spectacle.

Roland moved forward, as the three caravanners hopped out. "Creston? Lianora? Garrett?" he asked. "What's going on?"

Creston took a deep breath. "The goblins are planning an attack," he said grimly.

Shocked gasps echoed around the village, as the people glanced at each other in alarm and unease.

"Garrett, Lia, and I were riding, when I spotted something," the Yuke began. "So we went to check it out. And when we got there…"

_**00000000000000—FLASHBACK—00000000000000000000000**_

_Garrett signaled for the Yukes to move forward, behind the rock that the Lilty was hiding behind. The three still couldn't believe what they were seeing._

_Goblins. A lot of them. Actually, that was an understatement. A MASSIVE number of goblins were hanging around an area. It appeared to be the outside of a large cavern. But the strange thing is, unlike most mountains or caves, the cavern went straight up, but did not have a peak at all. Instead, the new monstrous fortress was built by a wall._

"_Look up there," hissed Lia, pointing. Creston looked at the direction of her finger, and saw what was holding the goblin's attention._

_Atop a large pedestal, surrounded by four elite goblin guards, was a large goblin. He held a large staff in his blue hands, and was dressed in colorful clothes, as if he was a shaman. His dark, beady red eyes gleamed in the shadows caused by the wall. His teeth were long and crooked, like his nose. While Creston was captivated by the monster, he was even more surprised when it spoke._

"_Goblins! Brethren! The time has come!" roared the large goblin on the pedestal. His voice was rather high, and it had a rather menacing lisp to it, but it was still deep enough to sound threatening. "I, the Goblin King, have called you all here today, for this is a plan of greatness!"_

_The goblins below let out shrieking cheers. The King waved a hand and they all fell silent_

"_As you know," the king said, resuming his speech. "There is only one village in this area. The smallest village of all villages in this land…Tipa!"_

_The goblins below growled._

"_Now now, friends," said the Goblin King. "This is good news. However, now that the Giant Crab at River Belle has been annihilated by the caravan from this village, we must consider them a threat. Also, a new Crab shall rise to power, so our treaty with them is going to be strained. However, I have concocted a plan of greatness! With this plan, as soon as it succeeds, the goblins shall be one of the most powerful races on this earth!"_

_The goblins stared up at him, wide eyed and attentive. How? What was this plan?_

"_The plan is simple. When the caravanners head out for their next year, after they leave the peninsula, we strike! However, if they come here, we simply kill them, and then destroy their precious village. After that, we use the village as a secondary base. We take over River Belle and Port Tipa after that, and soon, the entire Tipa peninsula shall be under our control!"_

_The goblins cheered. Garrett looked uneasily at the Yukes. These violent creatures had a very well-made plan._

"_But it doesn't stop there!" shouted the King above the loud cheers. "As you know, the Tipa caravan has recently ravaged Mushroom Forest. After we conquer the Tipa peninsula, we head threw the miasma stream and we take over the forest as well. However, if some of you are too spooked to go into the stream, we shall use Port Tipa to travel around it, and use the sea to gain access into the Iron Mine Downs!"_

_The goblins looked at each other in violent delight._

"_Also, the Mine of Cathuriges is also a priority. Our rivals though they may be, it grieves me to tell you that the Orc King…has fallen in battle."_

_The goblins let out shocked cries and wails._

"_Yes! Slaughtered, he was! And by who?" roared the king. "The accursed caravanners from Tipa! They have mercilessly slaughtered the king of all orcs! They will surely come after us next! Therefore, we must strike first! Also, we shall invade the Mine of Cathuriges. With the idiotic buffoon of a king out of the way, the orcs will be weak. We shall convince them we wish to ally with them, and then take over their home when they least expect it!"_

_The goblins let out booming cries of sadistic glee._

"_But it doesn't stop there!" said the Goblin King with a menacing smile. "We shall take the Iron Mine Downs as well. Afterwards, we raise our army up, and then we shall attack Veo Lu, the Plains of Fum, and the Vale of Alfitaria!"_

"_What about Rebena Plains?" asked a voice from the crowd._

_The Goblin King fell silent for a moment. Despite his confidence, he did not wish to go to the Rebena Plains. They were simply eerie. "We do not need the Rebena Plains. No one ever goes there. Even if someone does, they'll simply die there, as we will control every rest city around."_

"_Uh…what if plan doesn't work?" asked a nervous voice. Murmurs followed his uneasy words._

"_The only thing that shall cause this plan to fail would be disloyalty," said the King loudly. "If you go through with this plan with all your strength, we shall not fail. Aren't you tired of being persecuted? As other tribes mock us and walk all over us? It is time to stop this! We shall have our revenge, and emerge from the bloody battles of war triumphant, as the greatest tribe of monsters this land will ever see!"_

_The goblins shouted loudly, louder than any other time during the meeting._

"_We shall start right away," said the large, blue goblin. "Set out for River Belle, and check on Port Tipa. Afterwards, we shall plan a strategy. With that, this meeting is now over."_

_All of the goblins started to walk away in random directions, muttering with dark humor._

_Creston shook his head. "That Goblin King can give one hell of a good speech, that's for sure."_

"_And it seems he has a lot of influence," said Lia. "And his use of propaganda is good as well. He's definitely smarter than the Orc King."_

"_Yeah, yeah, point is, we gotta go and warn the others," said Garrett. The three nodded, and set off back to the caravan._

_**0000000000000000000000000000000000**_

As they finished telling the story, they were met with an appalled silence.

"We need a plan," said Mika, breaking the silence.

Creston nodded. "The goblins are going to try and kill us if we go there. But we can't stay here. If a battle takes place here, the villagers are at risk."

Sam thought for a moment then opened his eyes. "Four of us will go to Goblin Wall. Four of us shall remain here."

"Who goes, and who stays?" asked Ray.

"Me and you for starters," said Sam. "Mika should come too. That leaves one more space open, but only one person can fill it. Garrett, you're the fourth person."

"Why is that your plan?" asked Nieta.

"I'm an all around fighter," said Sam, trying not to sound like he was bragging. "But goblins are fast. I may not be fast enough to avoid them, so that's why the Selkies are coming with us. Garrett, meanwhile, is the only one who can go with us, because he knows the way there."

"Why are we staying here?" asked Lianora. "We're the best at magic and healing. You'll need us."

"That's why you have to stay here," said Sam. "If we fail, then the village will need your help and support. Goblins aren't very good with magic. Plus, if any villagers get hurt, you'll be here to help them. Everyone understand?"

The eight nodded. Mika drove the caravan out of the village.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

The caravan pulled up to Goblin Wall.

"Is this the place?" asked Ray. Garrett nodded.

"Definitely," he said. "But we haven't seen the inside yet."

"Then let's not wait," said Mika, entering the cavernous wall. The others followed her lead, and made their way into the heart of the goblins' fortress.

**0000000000000000000000000000 **

Done. This was more of a suspenseful chapter.

I got the idea of the Goblin Army attacking Tipa from the journal entry after you beat Goblin Wall for the first time. It says something about the goblins maybe attacking Tipa.

My image of the Goblin King is a smart, sneaky, and word-savvy person, who can use fancy words to persuade others to go along with him. However, I also see him as weak and cowardly as well (teleporting away from you, the dirty slimeball). This'll be shown later on.

Favorite parts: The Go Fish game, and the Goblin King's speech.

Up next: The dark domain of the goblins, GOBLIN WALL. Will Tipa's heroes make it to the Goblin King before his plan is put into action? And if they do, can they defeat the King of the Goblins?


	11. Assault

Dun dun dun! We now return to Tipa Crystal Chronicles.

In this chapter, Sam, Garrett, Mika, and Ray face the might of the goblins at the notorious Goblin Wall!

I'm most likely dividing up this chapter as well, like the Mine of Cathuriges. Even though Goblin Wall is a very short course, there are HOARDS of enemies, and I also want the Goblin King to have a big speech before his battle (and that will reveal the story a bit more as well).

Also, another thing! There are going to be some recurring monsters in this story. If you've noticed, on rare occasions, some monsters haven't been killed. Those monsters are going to be out for revenge against the caravan.

If you don't know what I mean, check in the Mushroom Forest Chapter. Ray fought a gremlin, but he threw it up into the sky instead of killing it. That same gremlin is going to return for revenge against Ray.

Enough rambling. I DEMAND THIS CHAPTER TO BEGIN!

**0000000000000000000000000000**

"Sheesh," said Garrett, his eyes narrowed. "This place looked pretty tough on the outside, but the inside isn't much to look at."

Sam nodded in agreement, glancing around at the area they were in.

It was dark and shadowy, filled with nooks and crannies all around. The ground was gravelly and the walls were tall and looming. Bones were scattered around. Bones of animals…and humans, too! These vicious creatures killed for fun and kept the remains as decorations and trophies. The smell of the place was foul and putrid, the scent of goblins.

There were also cells, with barriers made out of bones. Skulls were seen within the jail cells, showing that some prisoners were left to die in this foul place.

As the four looked around, they could see why it was called Goblin Wall. Huge numbers of goblins were hanging all around, as well as many other creatures. There were flans, gelatinous, yellow monsters that were slimy and slithered along the floor like slugs. There were also bats flying around, and electric jellyfish drifting along throughout the level gloomily, as if they were depressed that they were stuck in such a disgusting place.

As the four moved forward, a goblin guard caught sight of them. His small eyes widened in alarm.

"Intruders!" he shouted. "Raise alarm! The great Goblin King right! He knew they try and stop us! Everyone, prepare for batt- AAAAAAAGH!"

The goblin's orders were cut short as we met his end on the tip of Garrett's lance. Dark, violet blood poured out of the monsters stomach as he let out a gurgling groan, and slumped forward, his sightless eyes still bulging out of their sockets.

"Well, now they know we're here. Do you think they'll let us see the king if we ask nicely?" said Ray sarcastically.

"Less talk, more action," said Mika, pointing. Two flans and a goblin were running toward them (or in the flans case, sliding).

Sam dashed forward, while the goblin swung his vicious-looking cutlass at the Clavat. Sam ducked, and cut the goblin in the stomach. The creature groaned, but managed to swing his blade. Sam tried to dodge, but his arm got a cut as he did. He then swung his sword again. The monster's head was sliced off, and the creature dropped to its knees.

Meanwhile, Mika was fighting one of the flans. It dodged both of her attacks, but the third one hit it dead on. It then sprayed a bunch of yellow fog at the Selkie. Mika felt her body slow down, but she managed to strike the thing one last time before the spell slowed her down too much. The gooey monster flew into a wall, and stuck there, dead.

Ray was fighting the other flan. He stepped backwards, and his racket caught on fire from a torch. Not noticing, Ray swung his racket and struck the flan down. It let out a little gurgle, and melted, dying instantly.

"Hey Sam!" shouted Ray. "These things don't like fire!"

Sam nodded, and all four of them gathered back to the center of the entryway. Sam cast a clear spell on Mika, returning the speedy girl to normal.

"Ugh…," said Sam, rubbing his forehead. "I'll never get used to the side effects of magic."

The four moved forward and began to walk upwards.

"Hey, anyone notice how we're mostly going up, not forward?" asked Garrett.

"Well, when I first saw it outside, I noticed it was more tall than long or wide," said Sam.

"Tall or wide, we still have to deal with monsters," said Ray. At that moment, a bat swooped out of the sky, joined by three goblins, two red, and one blue.

"The blue one is a magic user," said Sam, eyeing the staff the creature was holding.

"Let's get them!" shouted one of the reds.

"Be careful," said the blue mage in a gravelly, shrill voice. "We've heard that these fools are powerful. We don't want to dishonor our king and lose to these wretched caravanners."

Mika noticed how the mage didn't speak in fragments like the other goblins. _So the goblins here are more intelligent than the ones at River Belle Path. They fight better, too. This is the true strength of the goblins' military might._

Her thoughts were cut short as the bat hurtled straight for her. She got a light cut on her cheek as the creature tackled her, but as she tried to counterattack it, the monster flew out of reach. Muttering curses, Mika used a gravity spell, and struck the bat down as it was trapped to the ground. Mika groaned at the headache she received, but managed to enter the battle once more.

Sam and Ray were fighting the warrior goblins two-on-two. Sam managed to hack his opponent's arms off, and then tried to cut it open with an uppercut. The armless creature drew back, but his nose was cut off. With a shrieking scream, the goblin fell over and died. Ray meanwhile was beating his goblin with his racket. He finally managed to strike the creature in the side of its head, and sent it flying over the edge of a cliff. The goblin's yelps grew dimmer and softer, before they were cut off by a sickening crunch.

Garrett charged towards the mage goblin, but the magic-user cast a spell on the Lilty, and Garrett felt a searing burn from a Fire Spell. Determined, he charged forward and stabbed furiously at the mage.

Blood splattering on his tunic, the mage snarled and drew back, raising his staff for a counter spell. But as he was about to cast his magic, the tip of his staff exploded, causing the mage to go flying back into a wall, while the crack of his splitting spine filled the cave.

"Damn…even the mages aren't very good at magic," said Ray, panting. "But these guys are way tougher than the bozos at River Belle Path, that's for sure."

Sam threw his sword at the ground and stretched his arms. "Well, what do you expect? This is their base; their most experienced warriors should be here."

"Sam! Look!" said Garrett, pointing. Sam turned and found that his sword had impaled a white skull. Or so he thought. It seemed to be a switch, as the cell below opened up, revealing a treasure chest.

"Sweet! Let's go!" yelled Mika and Ray at the same time. The two thieves rushed off to find the treasure that had been revealed.

**00000000000000000000000000**

"I think that's the way out," said Mika, pointing. "Or at least to the next room."

Below them, a long hallway-like cavern was blocked by a bone barricade. Guarding it were four goblins: Three mages, and a chieftain.

"Ugh…," said Sam. "That's gotta be it. No other cells have been guarded."

"Grrrr…how long do we have to guard this thing, Firetooth?" asked one of the mages.

"Look, I don't know, Rocknose. I'm just following orders," replied the other one. "Ask Bonescratch."

"I don't know either," said the third mage, who was most likely Bonescratch. "But I'm thinking about leaving. Get myself some lunch…"

"You're all going to stay here whether you like it or not," growled the chieftain, who seemed to be in charge.

"Yes sir, Commander Ironbelly," said the three mages.

"Ironbelly!? AHAHAHA!" laughed Ray, unable to contain himself. The four goblins looked up at them.

"Smooth move, bandanna butt," said Garrett.

"ATTACK! GET THEM!" shouted the chieftain. The mages and the chieftain ran forward, yelling battle cries.

Garrett hopped off the ledge above them and hurtled downwards, his spear point down. He landed on one of the poor mages, impaling its head on his lance.

"Gah! Rocknose!" said Firetooth.

"Guh…I knew…I should've left," the dying goblin gasped out, before dying.

"WORM!" roared Ironbelly. He swung his wicked blade down at Garrett, but Sam appeared and the blade struck his shield instead.

"What!?" yelled the commander chieftain, but that was all he managed to say before Sam's sword pierced the chieftain's heart. The chieftain stabbed Sam furiously in the arm before he died, his sneer still on his face.

Ray and Mika stepped towards the remaining mages threateningly. "You're next," growled Ray.

The two remaining goblins exchanged a glance, then turned tail and fled. They ran to the entrance.

"We'll be back! There'll be a reckoning for this!" shouted Bonescratch.

"Let them go," said Mika. "We have an appointment with the king."

They headed through the unguarded door and moved on.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

In the next room, there was another wall to climb, as well as a large chasm in the middle of the room. At the top of the chamber was a large door that looked like it was made of bones. The four noticed that they would need a key to get through, as they spotted a keyhole next to the door.

"That must lead to the king," said Sam. "No other door has looked like that."

The four began to ascend up the wall. As they advanced one level, they met an obstacle: A flan and a jellyfish.

With his knowledge of flans, Sam cast a fire spell on the creature. The creature dissolved into a gooey yellow puddle.

Ray ran forward and swung his racket at the jellyfish. As the weapon made contact, Ray's sly smirk changed into a shocked expression, as he felt lightning zap his entire body. He clenched his teeth as the electricity coursed through his body.

"What the heck?" he managed to say, before finally, he was free of the painful shock.

"You can't touch a jellyfish without receiving a shock," explained Mika. "The electricity on its head will hurt you. Most people would notice that."

Ignoring the last insult, Ray shook his head. "Well fine, missy. You kill it, if you're so smart." At that point another jellyfish swooped down, along with a bat.

"Watch and learn, moron," taunted Mika, earning a scowl from Ray. Mika concentrated, then aimed two aura blasts at both of the jellyfish. Both hit their targets, killing one, and knocking the other jellyfish into the bat as it died. The bat was shocked and paralyzed for just a moment, allowing Sam and Garrett to finish it off.

Mika gave Ray a triumphant what-now look.

"Shut up," muttered Ray. Mika just smirked.

"C'mon," said Garrett. "Let's go up."

After a few more small battles (and a couple of healing spells), the four of them eventually reached the bone door. But they weren't the first ones there. Three warrior goblins, a mage, two chieftains, and a jellyfish were hanging around.

"Hold on," said Sam, putting a hand out to stop Garrett (who was shaking in anticipation of killing the damn things). "Let the Selkies go first. They're quicker, and sneakier."

The Selkies crept close in the shadows.

"This sucks," whined one of the goblins. "We've been here for HOURS! Why can't we just go somewhere else, Grimblade?

One of the chieftains, who was wearing an eye patch, glanced at him. "Because we've got orders from the official guards. And apparently those orders came from the king himself. So stop whining, Slimeclaw. And Ragebreath, don't slack off on the job."

"It is our duty. We are the finest warriors after all, excluding the official guards," spoke one goblin, spitting. He had a long scar on his nose. "Well, except for you, Slimeclaw. Let's face it; you're a weakling.

"Oh, shut up, Knifeface," said Slimeclaw.

Suddenly, the jellyfish locked eyes with Mika. Mika swore quietly, then shot an aura blast at the creature. It went flying off into the air, hit the ceiling, and started to fall. Then it hit the ground in front of the goblins dying as it fell onto the hard earth.

The goblin named Slimeclaw noticed it first. "What's tha-AAAAAAACK!"

"What do you mean, 'thack'?" asked the mage. Then he noticed Ray whacking Slimeclaw over the head a second time. The poor goblin's skull was smashed, and he let out a final whimper before he ceased breathing.

"An ambush!" shouted Grimblade. "Attack!"

"Now!" shouted Sam, leaping into the fray with Garrett at his side. Mika and Ray were locked in battle with two goblin warriors, and a chieftain, respectively. Garrett charged at the second chieftain. Sam went for the mage.

Grimblade swung his vicious sword through the air at Ray, who nimbly dodged to one side. Thrusting his blade once more, Grimblade stabbed the Selkie angrily in one leg. Ray let out a yelp of pain, before he blindsided the goblin chief on the side of his face where the eye patch was. He sent the chief sprawling, but Grimblade got up and resumed fighting once more.

Garrett fought with the other chief, slashing and stabbing furiously at the evil creature. The chieftain managed to dodge and move backward, but eventually hit a wall. Garrett seized his opportunity and stabbed the goblin right in the chest. The monster clutched its heart, trying to cling to life, but all in vain. It died with one last curse escaping its mouth.

Mika, meanwhile, was fighting Ragebreath and Knifeface, and was too fast for both of them. Swinging her paddle in a wide arc, she knocked them back over the edge of the wall. They both landed, and were alive, but they knew they had lost. Knifeface dragged Ragebreath behind him.

"You win. We'll be leaving now," said Knifeface coldly. Ragebreath just growled and swore quietly.

Sam swung his sword and cut off the mages arm. It let out a scream and cast a thunder spell, which Sam narrowly avoided. Sam kicked the creatures legs, and as the creature lost balance and fell, Sam's blade pierced its throat. Blood bubbled out of its mouth, but it soon succumbed to death.

Ray and Grimblade were still dueling viciously. However, at last, Ray managed to unbalance the creature, and shot a projectile at Grimblade's head. He let out one last roar before falling to the ground, stone dead. A key fell out of the dead chieftain's pocket.

"There's our ticket to get inside the throne room," said Garrett, picking up the key. Sam cast a Cura spell on everyone, and once he got over his dizziness, Garrett placed the key in the lock. The bone door creaked loudly as it opened up, and the Tipa caravan made its way inside.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Done! Finally!

This chapter was exciting to write, although all the battles wore me out.

Favorite parts: Hands down: The last battle before they go to fight the Goblin King.

Notice how I started to name the monsters? That's going to be a recurring theme now. The more intelligent monsters (Lizardmen, Goblins, Lamias, and Tonberries, to name a few) are going to have names. Simpler monsters (such as Hell Plants, Cockatrices, Killer Bees, Scorpions and Zus) are not going to have names.

Here's a little spoiler: There are a few monsters that will make more appearances later on. There are three in this chapter who shall appear later on. Firetooth, Bonescratch, and Knifeface make more appearances. If you want to know where they appear, figure out the puzzle below (it isn't hard).

**Adnalik**

Next chapter: Mika, Sam, Ray, and Garrett all fight the Goblin King. Will they succeed, and foil the mastermind's plan? Or will they fail, leaving Creston, Lia, Nieta, and Star to take over the caravan?


	12. The End of the Plan

MUAHAHAHAHA! WE RETURN TO THE HORROR OF…okay never mind. I was trying to be suspenseful…

Anyways, here is the chapter in which the four caravanners fight the Goblin King.

By the way, sorry to Goblin King fans, but he's kind of a wuss…the battle isn't going to be very long. XD

It starts with the King's POV but then switches to the others.

On with the show! *bangs gong*

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

_Bubble bubble bubble…_

That was the sound that echoed throughout the grim cavern, as the Goblin King stood over his cauldron, muttering in violent delight.

The plans were going well. Extremely well. The Goblin King himself had been unsure of the success, but it just went to show that the mighty king could be a worrywart sometimes.

However, after Tipa…that's what bothered him. His world takeover speech was actually just supposed to get the goblin army psyched and ready for battle. The king hadn't really meant it. He knew he could take certain areas of the world easily…but there were certain monsters he did NOT want to fight, and certain places he would NEVER go. He just hoped that his plans hadn't angered any of the stronger monsters. God knows what HE could-

The king shook his head, frightened. He wouldn't think about it. The plans would go well, and his army would rise in status and power. And that was what mattered. It's not like he would fail anyway…

_Creeeeeeeeeeeeak_…

"Eh? What the?" he muttered under his breath, turning around. He then squealed in surprise. The caravan from Tipa walked into the Goblin King's lair, weapons drawn, and=2 0expressions set and determined.

The king clenched a fist. "What?! How!? H-how did you get in here!? What happened to the mages? The warriors? Some of my finest guards!?"

"Dead," answered the Lilty, spitting. "Or driven out. Either way, you'll be joining them."

The King's eyes widened. Dead? His troops? Were they lying? That couldn't be true, could it? His plan never involved the king to actually FIGHT. "Th-that's impossible!" he stuttered.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

Sam stared at the goblin. "You heard him right. We've successfully battled our way into your base. You're too confident for your own good."

The Goblin King gulped. Garrett stared at the King. Although his words and speech had been vicious, he realized that the Goblin King was actually very cowardly at heart. Unlike the Orc King, he preferred to watch his army fight. The Orc King ruled in strength; the Goblin King ruled in intelligence.

The Goblin King stared down at them. There was a gate blocking the way into his lair. He was safe- for right now.

"Hmmph…," the King muttered, his red eyes narrowing. "So you managed to defeat a bunch of ragtag goblins. Too bad my elite guards are either in my chambers or rushing towards your village to fight."

"Nice try," said Ray pleasantly. "But that's a bad bluff. No goblins that escaped ran towards Tipa. They're a bunch of cowards, just like you."

"Coward? Imbeciles!" shouted the King in an affronted voice. "You're all a bunch of blithering idiots! You think I'm a king because I use big words?"

"Yes, actually," said Ray bluntly.

"Wrong!" spat the Goblin. "I am the King because I am the strongest both in brawn and in mind. My plan will succeed, and I will wipe out all other races in this accursed Peninsula. You four are only the beginning."

"Your plan will fail. And if you're the strongest of all of these losers, then that isn't saying much," said Mika, giving the king a hard glare. "You and your goblins only care about yourselves. But we're actually defending people!"

The King's eyes widened. Then he let out a high, shrill, spiteful laugh.

"That's what angers me about the lot of you!" roared the Goblin King, his voice taking a dark, venomous tone. "You and all your races!"

"You take us as evil, but are we really so different? Hmmm?!" he asked. "You are killing us to preserve your own race. But we're doing the exact same thing! We need to survive as well!"

"We wouldn't have attacked you if you hadn't threatened us!" shouted Sam. "We would've never touched you!"

"You already have!" shouted the Goblin King. "How many goblins have you slaughtered at River Belle Path? I'm guessing a good number. And for what? You killed my men to get your precious _myrrh_, so your despicable village could survive another year!"

"Your men didn't exactly let us go without a fight!" shouted Sam angrily. "We wouldn't have killed him if we didn't have to! If monsters didn't guard the tree and try to kill us, we wouldn't have to kill them!"

"Humph…," growled the King. "You pitiful people have no understanding of us. We need the tree as much as you do. But that doesn't matter now," he declared, with a twisted smile. "We'll wipe you out, and all the other villages throughout this miasma infested world."

"What do you mean, you need the tree?" asked Sam. He vaguely remembered the Orc King mentioning that as well.

"It doesn't matter what it means," sneered the Goblin King. "All that matters is that we have it. We're willing to stop you by any means necessary."

"Then do it," challenged Garrett.

"I will, if you can even survive long enough to battle me!" yelled the king. He waved a hand. "Attack!"

Four goblins rushed out and confronted the caravanners. One of them swung his blade at Mika, who blocked it, and swung her mallet. The goblin dodged, but Mika kicked him over, and he fell down. Mika swung her paddle at his skull, smashing it, and the goblin died. At the same time, Sam finished dealing with his goblin, by viciously severing its head. A key appeared from out of its bloodstained shirt.

"Guys!" he yelled. "Get the keys. We put them in those slots over there. Then we can fight the King!"

"Got it!" shouted the other three. Garrett's spear struck the goblin's spear. Both spears pushed up against each other, fighting for life and death. Garrett won, and the tip of his weapon stabbed into the goblin's eye, and it bled to death. Ray bashed his goblin viciously on the head, while the goblin swung his blade at him. Ray jumped in the air, and when he landed, he kicked the goblin and it went flying over the gate and the king, into the cauldron. It dissolved in agonizing pain, as the acid-like substance burned the creature's skin. Ray picked up the key that the creature had dropped when he kicked it. Sam and Ray put in there keys, and then the gate opened.

"What!?" cried the Goblin King, clenched fists shaking. "My elite guards?! Defeated?! I'll have to handle this scum myself!"

Two goblins rushed to assist him, although they were both killed by a single blow from the Selkies' rackets.

As Sam rushed towards the horrible King, the large Goblin swung his staff, knocking him back. Garrett ran forward, launching his spear toward the king. The King waved a hand, and vanished, reappearing to the left of the cauldron.

"Fools," he said, sniffing dismissively. "Riff-raff like you don't understand the true power of an amazing mage like myself."

Garrett groaned. "A mage king? Damnit Sam, you thought he'd be a warrior like the Orc King, didn't you? Maybe we should've brought the know-it-alls with us, eh?"

"Not my fault! You were the ones who first saw him! You should have known!" retorted the Clavat.

"I wouldn't expect either of you abysmal morons to plan ahead," said the Goblin King, with an obnoxious snort. But his boasting was cut off by a gasp of pain, as an aura blast him in the side of the head, around his ear. He glanced towards the direction the attack had come, and spotted Ray, standing on the edge of his cauldron, racket pointed at him.

"Grah! Impudent Selkies!" grumbled the King. He quickly casted a fire spell in the cauldron. Ray managed to hop off before the spell exploded, causing the acid that the pot contained to rain down around the pot. A bit of it landed on Garrett.

"Ow! Hot! Hot hot hot!" he yelled, hopping, rubbing his scalp.

Sam concentrated, and aimed a blizzard spell at the Goblin King. The attack was successful, and the King let out a cry.

"Not bad, worms!" he spat sardonically. "But this battle has only just begun!"

He aimed a thunder spell at Mika, who dodged. The villainous king barely had enough time to react before Garrett rushed towards him. Garrett's spear met the king's crook with a loud CRACK!

The King teleported to the far right, but Sam foresaw his movement, and aimed a vicious slash at the King. The giant goblin wasn't quick enough and he received a deep wound on his arm.

"Gah!" he shouted, rubbing his arm. "Y-you pests!"

Aiming a fire spell and a blizzard spell, at Mika and Sam respectively, the King teleported up behind his cauldron.

"This isn't going well," grumbled the king. "I might have to get more serious."

As Ray rushed up to attack him, the King managed to swat him aside. "I'm definitely going to have to bring out my secret weapons."

As he managed to cast a blizzard spell at Garrett, Sam rushed behind him, stabbing the foul creature in the back.

"You again!?" yelped the King, swatting the Clavat away, sending Sam sprawling across the room. Mika aimed a projectile at the King, who managed to deflect it, before being hit by a blizzard spell from Ray.

"Dirty…scoundrels…," rasped the King. "I never thought…it would get this far…"

Sam rushed up and sliced the King with an uppercut. The King fell backwards and leaned on his staff, breathing heavily. Sam lowered his blade.

"Done yet?" asked the Clavat. The King glared at him. He had barely known this accursed caravanner, and he already held a grudge.

"Alright…you win," whined the King pitifully. As Sam turned to walk back to the others, the King grinned. An opening!

BOOM!

"Sam!" shouted Ray, dashing over and catching the Clavat. A green spell circle had exploded under the Clavats feet.

"Bio spell…poison…," muttered Ray, using a clear spell. The Goblin King growled, and let out a horrible screech as Garrett stabbed him in the throat in retaliation.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" roared the goblin, clutching his bleeding throat.

"What, you're still alive?" asked Garrett, drawing back to the others.

"Stop, stop!" yelled the King in a panicked voice. "Enough! Enough! I give up! For real this time!"

"Bastard!" snarled Mika, her eyes flashing. "That was a cheap shot you used on Sam!"

"Big words, coming from a tribe of thieves," retorted the king, spluttering more dark violet blood.

Garrett raised his spear.

"No, no wait!" shouted the King, backing away. "Don't kill me…," he whined. "I'll tell you anything!"

"Pathetic thing," muttered Garrett.

"Anything?" asked Mika. "How about the way all the monsters communicate."

"We can't often meet face to face, so we speak with each other mentally," explained the king, gasping and wheezing. "Our controller, the lord of all monsters, allows us to do so…"

"And where did the miasma come from?" demanded Garrett.

"I don't know!" shouted the King, his red eyes wide, alight with fear. "All I know is that we just spawned one day. I rose to power as king.

"And the monster who rules all?" asked Sam, recovered. "Who is it?"

"He who takes the past," said the Goblin King, leaning on his staff. "His name is-huh?"

The vile king's staff was glowing with an odd light. It was flashing. None of the four tribes people knew what it was. But the King did. And he was terrified.

"Wait! Wait!" shouted the King, desperately, wheezing. "I wasn't going to tell them anything! I didn't do anything! I'm innocent! Innocent! PLEASE!"

"What's going on?" whispered Mika.

"I don't know," muttered Ray.

The King let out a terrible scream. "NOOOOOOO…I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO GOOOOOOOO……..!"

"GAAAAAAH!"

Although Garrett blocked his ears, he could still hear the final scream of the Goblin King, as he was pulled into a burning fiery vortex, screaming all the way. Eventually, the wretched cries drew to a halt. The Goblin King's crook fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"He's gone…he was just about to tell us something important, and now he's gone," muttered Sam.

"Where'd he go?" whispered Garrett.

"By the looks of it, hell," said Ray darkly. He didn't mean it as a figure of speech. The flames that consumed the hapless ruler were definitely dark and hellish.

"Well, either way, the village is safe," said Sam, smiling. "Let's go back…to our…friends…"

"Sam?" asked Mika, as the Clavat staggered. "Sam!?"

The Clavat fell over, his breath harsh and ragged. Mika examined him after rushing over.

"We have to get back to the village, quick!" shouted Mika.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" asked Ray.

"Not exactly, but common sense is useful right now," responded Mika. "His heartbeat is erratic, and his breath is shallow. I think the Goblin King's poison spell was more serious than we thought," she paused and felt his forehead. "He has a fever. Ray, Garrett, carry him. If we don't get him back to the village soon, he'll die."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

OHOHOHOHOHOHO! CLIFFHANGER~

I personally LOVED this chapter. I think the whole Goblin King speeches were very deep.

Favorite parts: The Goblin King telling the caravanners that they aren't very different, Garrett being sprayed with acid, the death of the King, and the cliffhanging part where Sam is in danger.

So down goes the King. He used a lot of big words, hunh? Pity, I sort of liked him. Makes me feel kind of bad for him. But he's evil, so he has to die. Tee-hee.

Anyone who guesses the monster overlord wins a cookie.

Also! Notice how I put in a goblin point of view? That's going to come in later. Notice how we slaughter the creatures in the game? The Goblin King reveals the monsters perspective on it. It makes the story a little darker.

Next Chapter: Sam is sick with a serious fever. The gang plans their next moves. But what is going on in Sam's head?


	13. Fever

Here we are again. Another chapter.

Now listen. This is a short chapter, it just shows what goes on while Sam is sick. Also, THIS IS NOT SAM'S CHARACTER CHAPTER. But it still is mainly about him. In fact, the character chapters take place in the following areas (in order in which they take place).

Garrett: Marr's Pass  
Nieta: Alfitaria  
Creston: Shella  
Star: Fields of Fum  
Ray: Conall Curach  
Lianora: Veo Lu Sluice (they go back there a second time to refill the river after the fifth year)  
Mika: Leuda  
Sam: Lynari Desert into Mag Mell. His spans from the middle of Lynari Desert into part of Mag Mell.

Alright, here we go. By the way, this is going to start from Sam's POV.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_White…_

_White and blurry…_

_That was all he could see, as he heard the strange music that sounded like a lullaby._

_He felt warm, soft arms around him. Then he saw an enormous green blur in front of him._

"_Ah…," came a wise voice. "He looks like a strong child. He is going to become a great man one day."_

_A woman's giggles were heard faintly in the background, before the world grew dark…_

…

_Flames…_

_Fire was surrounding him. Yells and screams rang in his ears. Someone crying desperately, louder and louder._

_Heat…burning, scorching heat…_

_And a loud cackle, that sounded like it was coming from a monster. Then he saw a glowing light, shaped like a person, floating front of him. And then a flash._

_And then…_

_It was cool…_

_Calm, and quiet. He felt soft grass tickling his nose. He heard a voice…_

"_It's safe. You're safe now. He won't get you now, child…you're safe…"_

**00000000000000000000000000**

"AHHHHH!" yelled Sam, waking up, eyes wide. Star, who was reading a book, glanced over at him in alarm.

"Sam! Calm down!" she urged soothingly. She put a hand to his forehead, causing him to blush slightly. "Your fever is starting to go down."

"Oh…that's…good," murmured Sam, looking away. Star gave him a sympathetic look.

"It was that same dream again…wasn't it?" she asked. "This is the fourth time you've had it.

"I know…," said Sam, rubbing his eyes. "I just wish I knew what it meant!"

"You'll figure it out…eventually," Star said, giving him a reassuring smile. Sam smiled back at her. _She really has a nice smile…_

Star left the room to go get him some water. Sam fell asleep again.

_White…_

_White and burry…_

_That was all he could see, as he heard the strange music that sounded like a lullaby…_

**000000000000000000000**

Star walked out of the alchemy house, to be met by Nieta and Creston.

"How is he?" asked Creston.

"Getting better. Thanks for letting us use your house to keep him in," said Star, stroking her hair.

"Not a problem," said Creston. "However, not to sound inconsiderate, but we're going to have to get moving soon. We need to get all the way up to the Vale of Alfitaria."

Nieta shifted her feet awkwardly. "Are we going to be going to Alfitaria?" she asked.

"Most likely," said Creston. "It would be a good stop for supplies. Why?"

"Oh…it's just really busy, that's all," said Nieta.

"Well, we'll be leaving soon," said Star reassuringly. "He's almost better. He'll be back battling monsters in no time."

Nieta grinned, and Creston seemed to smile.

"By the way…," commented Star. "Where are the others?"

Creston groaned, smacking his forehead. "You don't want to know…"

**0000000000000000000000000**

Mika groaned as a large fish hit her in the back of the head.

"WILL YOU STOP HAVING FOOD FIGHTS WITH THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!" she roared, glaring at Ray and Garrett. Lia just continued sewing herself item pouches, humming merrily.

"Uh…technically, I'm not using YOUR "merchandise"," said Garrett, holding up a rather hard looking piece of bread. Mika gave him a death glare.

Ray scooted over to Mika and wrapped an arm around her good-naturedly.

"Oh, come on, Mika," he whined. "We've been stuck here for so LOOOOONG! It's not like there's anything else to do. Unless you can think of something to make our time here worthwhile," he said, with his trademark smirk.

Mika was annoyed, not only by his antics, but the fact that she was blushing. Not that she liked him, but he had a way with words, she had to admit. However, she chose to express her feelings about that idea by flicking the other Selkie in the forehead.

"Hey!" he shouted, grumbling while rubbing his head.

Lia continued to hum quietly, blissfully unaware of the impending battle about to unfold in front of her.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Three days later, Sam had completely recovered from his sick spell, and the caravan left the village again.

"Sorry I held you all up," said Sam, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But don't worry…we'll make up for lost time…we're going to get the myrrh twice as fast this year!"

Everyone cheered as the Tipa caravan moved merrily on.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

As I said, this chapter was short.

Can anyone guess where Sam's dream took place? If you guess correctly, you get an internet cookie, and a chapter shall be dedicated to you.

Favorite parts: Sam's dream, and the fish hitting Mika. And Lia's humming.

Next Chapter : On the road again! Although the caravanners are all more united now, will it last?


	14. Back on Track

Ta-da! Another Chapter. Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've been REALLY busy.

This Chapter basically covers the first half of the journey from Tipa to the Vale of Alfitaria (from Tipa to Marr's Pass.

I'm going to make some stuff happen earlier than in the game (like meeting Gurdy and other special events, like De Nam. Just an FYI)

ALSO: I made a couple mistakes in the last chapter: when I said Creston's character chapter was in Shella, I also meant to write that it also took place in Rebena Te Ra. Another goof was that I forgot to show the scene in Goblin Wall when the caravan gets the myrrh

I also didn't include the letter writing scene, as they were returning to Tipa anyway.

THIS MEETING HAS BEEN AJOURNED *GONG BANG*

**00000000000000000**

"So what you're basically saying is that while you were fighting the Goblin King, Mog took the tree's myrrh by himself?" asked Nieta.

"Basically," said Sam.

"So if he can get the myrrh by himself, why do we have to be sent out?" asked Nieta.

"Because there's a chance that a moogle will be killed by a Goblin Army," said Creston smoothly.

This response silenced Nieta.

"So what's the plan?" shouted Ray from the front of the caravan, as he steered it, almost going off the road.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" exclaimed Star next to him, and Ray returned his focus to the trail ahead.

"I say we get to the Vale of Alfitaria, and then we head for either Alfitaria or Tida," said Creston.

"Alfitaria," said Mika. "We'll need supplies." Creston nodded.

"And after Tida, Moschet Manor," said Sam. "And then we're done. Again."

"Did any of you find the miasma stream's element while you were on the way to Goblin Wall?" asked Lia.

"No," Sam responded. "We were too busy worrying about the village."

Ray glanced at the miasma stream ahead. "There's a ton of red smoke around there. You can see it from here. I'm guessin' that means we need the fire element."

Garrett sighed. "We'd better stop at stupid Goblin Wall…" he muttered.

**000000000000000000000000**

After a brief trip and a couple of dead bats, the caravan rolled up to the miasma stream with the chalice.

"Okay…here we go," muttered Sam.

They stepped into the stream.

**000000000000000000000000**

"DAMNIT!" shouted Garrett, as his hair tuft caught on fire for the third time.

"Again?" asked Lia sympathetically. When the Miasma Stream's element was water, they got drenched. Now, with a fire element, flames randomly appeared, and things caught on fire.

"I friggin' hate this," yelped Garrett, pouring some spring water on his head. "How much longer until we get out?!"

"Calm down Garrett," snapped Creston. "A warrior doesn't whine about pain!"

This statement shut Garrett up for the rest of the way through.

"So…if this stream is fire…than the next one has to be water, seeing as the Iron Mine Downs can only be water or fire elements," said Lia.

"What if it's wind or earth?" asked Nieta nervously.

"If it's wind, we swim across the Jegon River and get the wind element from Selepation Cave," answered Ray.

"But if it's earth, perhaps we should just through the warrior into the stream," said Creston. "After all, his head is like a rock."

Garrett was fuming, but he took Creston's words to heart and kept his mouth shut. As they exited the Miasma Stream, Creston spoke once more.

"Of course, the Lilty warrior boy is a very good chef, so we'll need to keep him around to make delicious bread for us," mused Creston thoughtfully.

"CRESTON!" roared Garrett.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

As the caravan rolled to Mushroom Forest to change their chalice (just in case), three figures burst out of some bushes in front of them.

"Who are you?" gasped Star.

The leader, a young male Selkie, answered. "We're the roughest and greatest thieves in the world!"

"Yeah!" said an old man next to him.

"We're the Striped Brigands, kupo!" said a striped purple and gray moogle.

"Can't say I've heard of you," said Ray, walking right past them.

"Yeah, your names don't ring a bell," said Nieta, also walking by them.

"Don't make fun of us, punks!" shouted the leader. "We NEVER get caught, we're wicked strong, and no one in their right mind would ever mess with us, or get on our bad side. You got that!?"

He looked and saw that the caravan had moved right past them, ignoring their presence.

"Uh boss…I think they got away…"

"Does this mean we have to go hungry, kupo?"

"…damn."

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

The caravan pulled into Marr's Pass, so they could spend the night. The moon was already high in the sky.

"Alright, let's check into an inn," said Creston.

"And you're not going to go beating up trees at three in the morning," muttered Nieta, so only Garrett could hear.

Garrett's face flushed. "Sh-shut up!"

As Creston walked over to talk with the manager of an inn, Sam flopped onto a bench. Star sat next to him, looking concerned.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better than I was," said Sam. "All thanks to you."

Star blushed a little. "No, everyone helped," she said, smiling a little. "But I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," said Sam. They both laughed.

Ray glanced over at the two, with Garrett and Nieta next to him.

"Would ya look at that?" commented Ray. "Those two are certainly friendly."

"Yeah…," said Nieta.

"I dunno…I think they might be more than that," said Garrett, scratching his head.

"Nah, they're not together yet, I can tell," said Ray knowingly. "Trust me. But it might not be too long before they are…heh heh."

Creston walked back over to Mika and Lianora. "Well?" asked Lia.

Creston sighed. "He's saying no. Stupid Selkie. No offense," he said to Mika.

"None taken," said Mika. "So you're saying he's a Selkie?"

"Yes," confirmed Creston. "Why?"

"Wait here," said Mika, rolling her eyes.

She walked up to the inn's manager and leaned on the desk. "Excuse me?" she said in an innocent voice.

The manager looked up. Wow, she was a looker. "How can I help you, miss?" he asked, blushing.

"Well you see," Mika said in a false tone of upset. "My friends and I need a room to stay in sooo badly. One of them was recently ill, and he can't go on like this…do you think you could tell me where I could find an inn with a large room?"

"W-we have a room!" said the manager. "For 300 gil, it can be yours. Lots of comfortable beds and such."

"The price is a bit high. Can you lower it for me, Mr. Manager? Pleaaaase?" she asked flirtatiously, winking at him.

"F-f-free of all charge. No cost at all. Take it!" he said.

"Oh, thanks! I don't know what I could've done without you!" said Mika with fake thankfulness in her voice. She walked back to Creston.

"Well?" he asked.

"I got us a free big room," said Mika, sigh exasperatedly. "The idiot fell for an age-old Selkie trick."

"What trick?" asked Creston, bemused.

"Don't worry about it."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Well, it's a good room, but there are a few problems," said Creston.

"Like what?" asked Sam.

"Like the fact that there's eight of us and only six beds," groaned Garrett.

"Well, a few of us can bunk together," said Star. "It won't hurt anyone."

Garrett promptly chose the bed in the furthest corner of the room and dropped his stuff on it. "Mine."

"We haven't decided anything yet," pointed out Lia.

"Well, I'm not sharing, and last time I slept near someone, I woke up to find them on top of me," growled Garrett.

Nieta's face reddened, and she managed not to say a stinging retort.

"Sam'll have to sleep alone, for medical reasons," said Creston. "We don't know if he's completely cured, even it seems like it. The Goblin King may have done more damage than expected."

Sam nodded, and went over and picked his bed.

"Now what?" asked Lia. "Four beds left, and six of us."

"And me, kupo!" shouted Mog indignantly.

"I call sharing with Mog!" shouted Nieta, grabbing the moogle and rushing over to a bed as far away from Garrett as possible.

"Wait…that's not fair!" shouted Ray. "She can't do that! Now she doesn't have to share a bed!"

"Oh well," sighed Creston. "It doesn't matter."

"Who gets the last single bed?" asked Mika.

"Well, I'm willing to share with anyone," said Star sheepishly.

"No, you don't have to. Actually, I have a better idea," said Creston. "You sleep alone in the bed near Sam's. That way, if you need to get up and check on him, you won't disturb anyone else."

Lia yawned. "I guess you and me are sharing then, huh Creston?"

"Yes…that's alright," said Creston. "I probably won't sleep much, seeing that I'll be planning our journey for a while."

"But that only leaves…," began Mika.

"OH NO! NO WAY!" shouted Ray and Mika, both glaring at each other.

"Wait…you DON'T want to stay in a bed with me?" asked Mika. "Even though you always flirt with me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," retorted Ray. "I only do that because it's fun and it gets rid of my boredom."

"Oh, so I'm not good enough?" shouted Mika. "You just think I'm a toy to entertain you?"

"Basically," answered Ray.

"Hmmph…in that case, we're staying in the same bed, whether you like it or not," said Mika, glowering at him.

"What!?" exclaimed Ray. "Why!?"

"Because I'm doing it to annoy you," said Mika, putting down her things."

"Fine…," groaned Ray. Mika turned and unpacked her things. While she wasn't looking, Ray grinned, and flashed a thumbs up to Garrett, who stifled a laugh. Creston noticed the gesture.

_Dear god, don't tell me he faked all of that just to ENSURE he'd stay in the same bed as Mika_, thought the Yuke disgustedly.

Eventually, they all settled and went to sleep.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

We're done. Not much went on in this chapter.

Favorite parts: Fire in the Miasma stream, striped brigands, Mika getting the room, and the bed issues.

Don't get any ideas about Creston and Lianora/Ray and Mika in the same beds. It's just because I wanted to add some humor in.

Ray is a clever little bastard, isn't he?

And now I've started to add some subtle hints at crushes and relationships! Tee hee hee.

Oh, the joy of messing with love. Ahahaha!

Next Chapter: The gang makes it into the Vale of Alfitaria. But a battle erupts between Nieta and Garrett (we're not talking verbal. We're talking weapons and sharp objects, people).


	15. Fear and Anger: The Lilties Fight!

Hello. Welcome back! This part of the story contains the second part of the journey to Alfita-

*distant explosion*

Sorry about that. The Goblin King is still angry about his death, and we are being forced to use drastic measures to subdue him.

Goblin King: I WILL HAVE MY VENEGANCE!

Anyways, ignoring him, on with the story.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

Mika yawned as the sunshine shone through the window. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, trying to block out the rays, but to no avail. Opening her eyes, she looked up.

The "pillow" turned out to be Ray's chest. His eyes locked with hers, and twinkled with mischief.

"Mornin', beautiful," he greeted, tauntingly. Mika's eye widened and then narrowed. She opened her mouth angrily but Ray's hand covered it up.

"Shhh…," he said, making a "zipping" motion. "Everyone else is asleep, god."

"You're the deep sleeper," hissed Mika. "How are you awake?!"

Ray winced. "You kneed me in my private area about 10 minutes ago in your sleep, and woke me up. Sheesh. Since then, I've just been trying to get some rest, and watching Lia snuggling Creston is pretty worthwhile too.

Mika glanced over and saw the female Yuke clutching Creston's arm as if it were a stuffed animal. Creston seemed to be asleep, breathing gently. Garrett kept muttering threats in his sleep, as if he was fighting, while Nieta cuddled Mog as she snored gently. Sam and Star were both sleeping soundly.

"Whatever," she said. "Don't tell anyone about this incident, okay? I was asleep so it doesn't count-"

She stopped talking. Ray had fallen asleep again.

**0000000000000000000000000**

Later on, after everyone had woken up and packed their things, the caravan set off again. On the way, however, they crossed paths with another caravan.

"Eh? What's going on?" asked Star.

It was the caravan from Marr's Pass, and they seemed to be arguing with someone. This someone seemed to be a Clavat wearing a hat, a long pink coat. His hair was brown and curly.

(Author's Note: I can't remember the exact dialogue of this scene, so I'm just going to do the end and tweak it a little)

"That's it; we've had enough of your stories!" shouted one caravanner, a Lilty.

"Wait, don't leave me!" cried the Clavat.

"Nope, we're gone!" shouted another Lilty. "You're on your own, pal! We part ways here!"

As the caravan of fuming Lilties rode away (although they kindly waved to the Tipa caravan as they left), Sam offered the lone traveler some assistance. The abandoned Clavat walked up to them.

"How incredibly rude of them," said the Clavat. "I was only telling them stories I have learned. But anyways, thank you for saving me. My name is Gurdy."

"Uh…my name is Sam," said Sam. Everyone quickly introduced themselves.

"I am grateful for your help," said Gurdy. "But don't worry; I'll leave as soon as we pass another caravan. Oh, by the way, here's a reward for saving me."

Gurdy stood still, thought for a moment, and recited a poem:

"_Lightning brings the cactus pain,_

_Now it all begins again."_

Gurdy thought for a moment. "Was it lightning? Or was it thunder? Either way, they're almost the same thing…"

Everyone else remained silent, although Sam was deep in thought.

_Where have I heard that before…? _he pondered.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

"Ugh…here we are again…," groaned Garrett, glaring at the miasma stream ahead as if he could kill it.

"At least it's water," commented Lianora. "So we don't have to swim across the Jegon River."

"No, but we have to go through the pouring rain in this stream," complained Ray. "First we're scorched, now we're showered."

The gang marched into the miasma stream, the heavy rain drenching them.

"Well…," drawled Creston. "This is just LOVELY."

"Creston, don't be so sarcastic," said Star.

"How does he get away with it?" asked Garrett to Ray. "No one even hit him."

Ray shrugged. "I guess the others just don't like you, pal."

Garrett groaned. "Thanks Ray. Thanks."

They eventually reached the other side of the wet stream, and gazed at the land around them.

"Wow…," said Sam. "It's so different around here…"

The Vale of Alfitaria was very mountainous, covered with rock and stone. In the distance, they could see the tall towers of Alfitaria. In another direction they could see a bare outline of Moschet Manor. And far off in the east, the gang saw black clouds looming gloomily over a small village. Tida.

"It's pretty dark," said Mika, stretching. "We've been moving all day. Can we set up camp nearby?"

Lia nodded. "Yes. Let's just go a little bit further."

**00000000000000000000000000000**

"So…where first?" asked Ray, taking a large bite out of a striped apple. "Alfitaria…or Tida?"

Everyone was silent around the campfire, as sparks flew into the cold, night sky.

"Well…," said Sam. "I say we go to Alfitaria first. We need to stock up on supplies. And a rest would be good…"

"We've rested long enough," argued Mika, shaking her head. "We can't afford to waste time. You KNOW what will happen if we don't make it to Tipa back on time. I say Tida."

"But Sam can't afford to go out just yet," said Lianora, scratching her feathered arm. "He's still sick. I vote Alfitaria. We could find a better doctor."

"We can't just decide," said Nieta. "We need to vote or something…"

"Let's all vote then," said Creston. Everyone nodded.

Sam, Lia, and Garrett all voted for Alfitaria. Creston and Mika both voted to go to Tida. Star scratched her head and thought for a while, before she voted for Alfitaria. Nieta voted for Tida without hesitation.

Everyone looked at Ray. The Selkie male looked at them all. "Oh, I'm not voting. I really don't care what we do."

"Well, it's 4-3," said Garrett, grinning. "Alfitaria it is."

"What!?" cried Nieta, her face desperate. "Ray, come on, vote for Tida!"

"Meh…do I have to?" asked Ray.

"Wait a minute…," said Garrett, thinking for a moment.

He gave Nieta a hard stare.

"Why do you want to go to Tida so badly?" asked Garrett suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" asked Nieta.

"Mika and Creston want to go there because it'll make us get the stupid myrrh quicker. Why would YOU vote for Tida?" asked Garrett again. "You HATE spooky stuff, and let's face it, Tida is pretty damn spooky."

"You know, Nieta," said Creston suddenly. "He DOES raise a valid point, no matter how small his brain is. Why DO you want to go to Tida?"

"What, you afraid of the big city?" asked Garrett, smirking mockingly. Nieta's eyes flashed. "Tough, little Nieta, afraid of getting lost and not being able to find her friends? All alone…

"Why don't you want to go to Tida?" retorted Nieta. "Doubting your warrior skills? Think it'd be safer to sit in the city and make bread?"

Garrett looked like he'd been slapped in the face. A deathly hush fell around the campfire.

"What was that, you little rat?" growled Garrett. "What'd you just say?"

"You heard me," responded Nieta coldly.

"You guys-," began Lianora, but Creston signaled her to remain quiet.

"You think I doubt my strength?" asked Garrett, his eyes burning with ferocious rage. "I could take you so easily, girl, you wouldn't even see it coming."

"Oh, what would you do?" asked Nieta, rolling her eyes. "Throw a stale, hard loaf of bread at me, miller boy?"

Garrett drew his spear so fast it took everyone a moment to register the motion. With a snarl, he leaped over the fire and swung his spear furiously at Nieta.

Nieta ducked, astonished, but a moment later, her weapon was out, and she leaped furiously to attack the male Lilty.

"No!" shouted Star, in a shocked voice. "Both of you, cut it out!"

The two furious Lilties paid no attention to her. Their spears clashing, causing sparks to fly, as the two short people fought each other brutally.

"Damnit, Garrett! Dude, chill out!" shouted Ray, leaping up.

"Calm down, Nieta," pleaded Lianora fearfully. "No one needs to get hurt!"

Nieta, gritting her teeth, swung her spear in a wide arc, which Garrett barely had time to duck under. The angry male lunged forward with his spear. A small cut appeared on the side of Nieta's face, a couple drops of blood dripping out of it.

Star tried to talk to the battling duo, but she couldn't get through to them. Sam stood next to her, trembling. Trembling with anger. He looked over to the two, his normally kind eyes more ferocious than the two Lilties combined.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he shouted.

Everyone turned to face the Clavat. Garrett and Nieta both looked stunned. Garrett, in his bewilderment, dropped his lance.

"You both are acting so stupid, it makes me sick!" he yelled. "We're supposed to be doing what's best for others, not ourselves. We're supposed to be helping each other deal with problems, not taunting each other with them. We shouldn't be tainting our weapons with the blood of our friends."

He nodded stiffly to Garrett's fallen spear.

Ray and Creston had restrained Garrett and Nieta, before anything else could happen.

"Do you two want to kill each other?" demanded Sam. "Is that it? Abandon your mission, and just try to weaken the caravan, and our friendships? What would your FAMILIES think?!"

Nieta and Garrett both looked shocked. Sam let out a huge breath, as if he had been holding it for a long time. Ray and Mika shared a worried look, while Creston just sighed. Lianora shook her head.

A muffled sob snapped everyone out of the daze. Star had a single tear travelling down her face.

"Sam's right," she said, sniffing. "We should be fighting the monsters…not each other…"

Everyone looked at her. She was right. And soon they went to bed. But the tension of the night's events still remained in the night sky above.

**0000000000000000000000**

Well another chapter complete.

In contrast to most chapters, which were either filled with action or humor, this one is rather dark, eh?

Favorite parts: Mika and Ray in the morning, the battle between Nieta and Garrett. And ESPECIALLY Star's last line at the end of the chapter. Just like it. No matter how cheesy.

So I have added in Gurdy. He shall be appearing more later on.

My goal is to NOT RUSH Alfitaria, because I'm so excited to get working on Tida. But a heads up: only three caravanners are going to Tida: Creston, Nieta, and Star. I'm especially excited about Tida because I LOVE the way I'm going to portray Armstrong (one of my favorite bosses in the game).

Next Chapter: Alfitaria! The big city awaits the weary travelers. Shopping sprees and mysteries galore. And a certain female Lilty's secret is about to be revealed…

Lianora: Oh, I believe it is my turn to request a review. So um…please! Review! Reviewing shall donate money to pay for Sam's doctoring bills.

Sam: What doctoring bills?

Creston: Shhhh!


	16. Nobility: Lady Nieta?

I hope you all enjoyed the cliffhanger! I'm so evil.

So, with the Goblin King successfully subdued, and with the plotline secure, I can start the lovely Alfitaria chapter! Hoorah!

So for this chapter, we learn more about Nieta's story-

Orc King: I AWAKE! I KILL WRITER FOR KILLING OFF ME!

Well…I've gotta run! So…uh…read this while you wait! Bye!

Orc King: I GET YOU!

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

That night, Creston had awoken and sat by a river. He quietly skipped rocks across the stream.

He heard a groan next to him. Ray was rubbing his eyes.

"I'll take my watch now," yawned the Selkie, gazing at Creston with half-closed eyes.

"No…," said Creston. "You don't have to. I'm not very tired."

Ray glanced at Creston.

"Still worried about what happened between those two, eh?"

"…yeah. Now get some rest. You'll need it."

"Whatever, man," said Ray, before turning over in his sleeping bag.

Creston then heard a rustle. It was soft, but still loud enough to hear.

"Who's awake?" he asked.

"Me," said Lianora, getting out of her bunk.

"Oh…," muttered Creston, looking back at her. "Get back to bed. You don't have a watch tonight."

"I can't sleep," replied the female Yuke, walking over and sitting beside him. "I still can't believe how those two went at each other…"

"Nor can I," agreed Creston, scratching his arm. "It's disturbing, that's for sure. We can't have our caravan infighting. Maybe you should try and find out what's bugging Nieta. Then maybe we can figure out the problem."

Lia nodded. She stood up. "I'd better get back to bed."

"No. You can stay. I mean, if you want to," said Creston, the last part added hastily. Lia looked over at him, and Creston knew she was smiling.

"Hee hee…alright then…"

**0000000000000000000000**

Mika was walking beside Ray at the front of the caravan. "Well…things are looking a bit better than last night, hunh?"

Ray snorted loudly. "Well, instead of fighting each other, they're giving each other the silent treatment. I suppose that's better, but not by much."

The two Selkies glanced backwards. Garrett and Nieta were on complete opposite sides of the road, determined not to even cast as much as a glance into the other Lilty's direction.

"Sheesh…you think something upset them or something," said Ray sarcastically. Mika gave him a withering look.

"This isn't a joke," she scolded halfheartedly. She was used to his antics by now.

"I hear ya, I hear ya," muttered Ray, glancing at her. "Although I'm kind of surprised that we're getting along so well."

Mika looked over at him. "Well…think of it as making exceptions. A strong caravan requires people who work well with each other. And seeing that you and I didn't exactly start out on good terms, I suppose I'm just gonna have to-"

"You're starting to like me," finished Ray.

"Yes," answered Mika, then covering her mouth quickly. Ray grinned. Mika did not.

"Don't worry!" said Ray cheerfully. "I'm glad we can be friends! Maybe ya won't kick me in the crotch as much now!"

That made Mika smile a little. "Don't be too sure…," she said, smirking.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

"We're here," said Sam. Nieta let out a quiet gasp. She wasn't prepared for this. Only Garrett had heard the noise.

The tall gate of Alfitaria stood imperiously before them. The architecture of the gate (and the city behind it) was large and incredibly fancy. It definitely showed how many Lilties still believed in their superiority.

"Nice…," said Ray, grinning appreciatively. "Fancy. Suits my style."

"Oh please," said Creston shortly.

"Well…what are we waiting for?" asked Star excitedly. "Let's go!"

With a feeling of dread, Nieta followed her seven friends into the city.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

"Whoa…I thought Marr's Pass was busy," said Sam, amazed.

Star's eyes were wide with wonder. "It's a lot bigger when you're inside of the city, isn't it?"

"Well, I'm going to go get supplies," said Sam. "Wanna come with me?"

"Sure!" said Star enthusiastically.

"Mind if I tag along?" asked Creston. "I have nothing better to do."

Lianora remembered what Creston had asked her to do. As she walked over to Nieta, however, the two Selkies grabbed the Lilty girl by the arms and dragged her along.

"Come on, shorty!" said Ray, smirking. "You're coming with us."

"W-what?" asked Nieta, shocked. "Where are we going?"

"We don't know!" said Mika cheerfully.

Ray flashed a look at Lia. He threw a wad of paper on the ground. Lianora nodded and gave him a signal to make sure she understood. She opened the note.

_We'll handle her. You keep an eye on Garrett. You might be one of the few he listens to._

Lianora read the note again. She nodded. She was determined to keep an eye on the aggressive male Lilty. She turned to try and find him.

Too bad he was already gone.

**0000000000000000000000000**

As Ray and Mika marched around town dragging Nieta, people stared. Ray and Mika thought it was because they looked strange the way they were moving around. Nieta knew otherwise. Nieta knew why they were staring. And she didn't like it.

"Come on!" said Ray, trying to think of a way to cheer up the girl. "Let's go look at the city's crystal. I bet it's frickin' huge!"

"Hunh!? Okay?" exclaimed Nieta as she was continuously pulled through crowds.

**0000000000000000000000000**

It was official: Creston hated Alfitaria.

"Oooooh," he heard a female voice say. "Look at that guy! He seems mysterious!"

"I bet under that mask he's a total hottie."

"Maybe he'll ask one of us out!"

Creston mentally punched himself. He couldn't take much more of this. Soon, girls started following him and the Clavats.

Sam looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry. I can tell you're annoyed by them. Want me to ask them to leave you alone?"

Star nodded. "We can, if you'd like."

Creston shook his head. "I have a better idea."

Creston suddenly saw a rock on the ground. Seizing his chance, he tripped over said rock and fell on his stomach.

Instantly, the group of girls rushed over and helped him up. "Are you okay?" one asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, giving them a small smile.

"So…you new here?" asked a second girl. "Got any plans?"

"Well you see," Creston said, in a sad tone. "I was at Marr's Pass when I received news that my girlfriend passed away at Shella. So I'm heading home to the funeral." He let out a soft sigh. "It's so tragic."

"Aww…," said the girls, sniffing. "We'll leave you alone then. We won't keep you busy." And with that, they left.

"Works every time," Creston said deviously, with a chuckle.

"That wasn't honest Creston!" scolded Star. "You shouldn't lie!"

"Okay, okay!" said Creston, putting his arms up in surrender. "Just don't **rat** me out."

Star stiffened and remained quiet the rest of the way.

"Whoops," said Creston, while Sam gave him an aggravated glance. "Sorry, Star…"

**00000000000000000000**

Nieta was still being dragged by the diabolical, dynamic duo. As they neared the crystal, Nieta saw a face she didn't hope to see.

Garrett looked up and saw them. His body tensed. He looked at Ray. "What do you want?"

Ray waved. "Hey, man! What's up?"

"I'm fine," said Garrett. "And you two?"

"We're good," said Mika. "We're ALL good."

"That's nice," Garrett said before adjusting his gauntlets.

"You don't need to keep ignoring me," said Nieta hotly.

"Oh really?" asked Garrett, his tone starting to get angry. "Well it hasn't hurt me yet."

"Listen you-," ranted Nieta, taking a step forward. BAM! She walked into a passing pedestrian. She fell over, but the other person didn't.

"Are you quite alright?" asked a female voice. Nieta nodded.

"Wait…could that be…?" Nieta looked up. Oh god no. Another familiar face.

Standing over her was a female Lilty, who looked a bit older than her parents. She had soft blue eyes, and was wear a purple coat with some matching pants.

"Why, it is!" exclaimed the woman. "It's been so long, Lady Nieta!"

Mika's jaw dropped. Ray spit out the drink he had in his mouth. Even Garrett seemed dumbstruck. They were all thinking the same thing:

_Lady Nieta!?!?_

They looked for Nieta to have an explanation, but the Lilty girl was gone.

**000000000000000000000000000**

Okay, so originally I was going to put this all in one chapter, but I think it'll work better as two.

Favorite Parts: Creston and Lia at the beginning (Ohoho~!), Creston and the girls, and of course the simultaneous thought: LADY NIETA!?!?

A teensy little spoiler: Nieta's past, although I've built up on it A LOT, isn't really that dark at all. Same with Garrett's. Garrett's was more of senseless anger and humiliation. Nieta's is more about trying to escape it. If you're looking for dark pasts, check out Creston, Sam, and maybe Ray later on.

Ooooh suspense! What will happen? WHO KNOWS! Find out next chapter!

Next Chapter: Nieta runs away from her past again, but the last person she expects comes looking for her. But can this person, along with the rest of the Tipa caravan, save the Lilty girl? Or will the Tipa caravan have to go on without her?


	17. One of us

*rings a bell* Welcome back to Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles! We hate to keep you waiting! Well, actually, I enjoy using cliffhangers on you. BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! THE POINT IS…uh…well…anyhow, let's get on with this!

Nieta's past shall now be revealed now, yes? *used a repetitive sentence*

COMMENCE YOUR READING *slams gavel*

**00000000000000000000000000**

"Lady Nieta?" asked Ray, voicing all three of the caravanners' thoughts.

"Yes, Lady Nieta!" exclaimed the Lilty. "Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Denilla. I used to be Nieta's…er…teacher, if you would call it that."

"So wait…you KNOW Nieta?" asked Mika, shocked.

"Of course!" said Denilla. "She's very famous around these parts. From one of the richest families in Alfitaria!"

"Whoa…," said Ray, in shock. "Ya hear that, Garrett? Garrett?"

He looked to where the male Lilty was sitting, but he was gone as well.

"Probably went chasing after the fair lady," he muttered. He and Mika exchanged a glance.

"Why don't you tell us this story about Nieta?" asked Mika, as she and Ray turned to Denilla.

"Certainly," said the Lilty. "You see, it started when…"

**000000000000000000000000000**

"UGH!" shouted Nieta, running as fast as she could away from the center of the village. She ran down some stairs and before she knew it, she was sitting by the river that flowed under the Bridge of Alfitaria.

"I knew this would happen," she murmured miserably. "Why did we have to come to Alfitaria?"

"Sounds like there's a story that needs to be told," came a familiar voice. Nieta flinched, then scowled. He was the LAST person she wanted to talk to right now. Although she was surprised he came looking for her.

Garrett moved over and sat next to Nieta, watching the river.

"So. Spill," he said. Nieta gave him a dirty look.

"Why should I?" she answered. Garrett rolled his eyes.

"You listened to me when I had a problem. I'm returning the favor," he explained.

"I don't have any problem," Nieta lied.

"I'd bet all my gil that you do. Now spill."

"Fine," mumbled Nieta. Garrett looked at her. To his astonishment, Nieta was crying softly.

_Aw, damn, I've been a jerk, _thought Garrett.

"Well," began Nieta, "I was born into a noble family. One of the five richest families in all of Alfitaria."

"Uh-huh…"

"But, you see, seeing that I was from a noble family, everyone expected me to be someone really special. All of the other noble children were very prim and proper, never misbehaving or anything like that. But I wasn't like them. I would go out and play and get dirty, I would cause trouble and mischief, and I would do stuff the my teacher, Denilla, that old Lilty back there, would say was unladylike for an upper class Lilty girl."

Garrett was interested now, but he still didn't understand the whole story. "Go on."

"Eventually, I had a reputation. The lower class kids hated me, because I could act like them and still be in the upper class. Behind their parents' backs, the upper class kids made fun of me. Denilla got very strict and impatient with me, and I eventually had to speak with the king about my behavioral issues."

"The king?" exclaimed Garrett. "You had to talk to the king!?"

"Yup," said Nieta, tears flowing. But her voice was still steady and strong. "My father argued with the king, saying that he couldn't change who his daughter was. He asked the king to leave me alone. Of course, that stupid ruler didn't. He told my father that I WOULD change, whether I liked it or not…"

"Bastard," muttered Garrett. "So then what happened?"

"Well, then when I was about eight, something happened," continued Nieta. "My parents were probably the richest family after the king. Many people desire that kind of wealth. One of the other noble families desired our fortune. So they set up an arranged marriage of their son, whose name was Rollid, and me."

"What!?" exclaimed Garrett in disbelief. "That's not fair! Every tribe has rights now!"

"But it didn't matter," said Nieta. "The king agreed to it. He also said that I would be trained to be a noble, upper class wife, no matter what."

"Why you?" asked Garrett. "Why not your sister, or another sibling?"

"The king didn't know I had an older sister. She and my parents decided that my sister would hide from everyone. So the king didn't find out. Also, that other family picked me so all the money and wealth would be under their family name. Because I'm a girl," she finished bitterly.

"After that, my family moved out of Alfitaria five nights later. My mother and father agreed that I should have a choice in what to do with my life. I'm so happy that they didn't make me marry Rollid. They gave up their noble status, a lot of their wealth, and home just for me. That's why I love my family so much."

Garrett stared at her. _She's a lot like me._

Garrett shook his head. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"For being an ass on the way here," said Garrett. "I was a total dick to you when I didn't even know your reason for wanting to stay away from this place. But now I do. And I understand."

Nieta smiled. "It's fine. I just hope they don't make me stay here."

"What!? What's that mean?"

"You think now that they've found me that they're gonna just let me go?" asked Nieta sadly. "No. They'll probably make me stay and marry Rollid."

"What!? They can't do that!" shouted Garrett in rage. "You have a mission. You can't leave us! You can't leave me, not after we've just made up! You can't leave me with Ray and Creston and all of them!"

"You'd really miss me that badly?" asked Nieta curiously.

Garrett blushed slightly. "Well…I…that's to say…uh," he mumbled.

Nieta giggled. "You're a good guy Garrett. I'll miss you."

"Hey!" came a voice from above them. Over the gate stood Sam, with Ray by his side.

"You've gotta come along," said the Selkie grimly. "Denilla tattled to the king that you've returned. And Mr. Monarch is waiting for you at the fountain."

Garrett's eyes widened in dismay. "Damnit…they've found out."

"Looks like this is it," said Nieta, sighing. "Let's go."

**000000000000000000000000**

The four caravanners walked to the center of the city. All the townspeople had gathered around to watch the spectacle. Nieta found all of the nobles waiting for her, as well as the Lilty king, the princess, and Denilla.

"Well Nieta," began the King. "It seems you have returned. I suppose that means that you have decided to commence with the marriage. I am willing to accept your decision, so we must discuss the matter-"

"Hold on," said Nieta. "I didn't accept anything-"

"So we must figure out the arrangements of your marriage," continued the king, talking over Nieta.

"Listen!" interrupted Nieta angrily. "I never agreed to a marriage, and I'm NOT going to marry someone who I don't want to."

This statement caused a hush to fall.

"It is not your decision," said the king, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. "I have approved of the matter-"

Ray coughed loudly. The king glanced at him, then spoke again.

"Your lessons with Denilla will continue-"

Ray coughed louder this time. The king glared at him.

"Please wait until I am finished speaking-"

"Oh no, Mr. King, this just can't wait," said Ray, smirking. He stood up and stared the king in the eye.

"It's not your place to decide a person's future," said Ray. "You can't tell her what to do."

"I have authority over my people, thus I have authority over Nieta."

"No you don't," answered Ray. This caused gasps. Nobody back sassed the king.

Star and Creston both made surprised exclamations. They'd realized Ray's plan. Star stepped forward.

"Ray's right," said Star. "You're not in charge of Nieta. Besides, she has a duty with the Tipa caravan, so you can't take her."

"Yes I can," said the king. "She belongs to my city, and to me. Besides, you could do fine without another caravanner. Seven is enough."

"It doesn't matter," said Star, giving the Lilty a hot glare. "You don't have power over her, or us. You're just too stubborn to realize that you can't change a person or make them do something they don't want to do."

Nieta was stunned. This was Star? Kind, sweet Star, scolding the Lilty king. Then she heard Creston speak.

"They're both right," said Creston, folding his arms. "Nieta belongs to no one but herself. And she's in our caravan. You can't touch her."

"I am in charge of that girl's future! She is a resident of Alfitaria!" said the king hotly.

"Hey, genius!" said Mika. This caused more gasps. "Notice that she's in the Tipa caravan?"

The king opened his mouth, but remained silent.

"That's right," continued the female Selkie. "Not the Alfitaria caravan, but the Tipa caravan."

"She lives in Tipa, she works for Tipa, her entire family lives in Tipa," said Lia, also speaking up. "She's not a resident of your town. She's a resident of OUR town. Tipa. Not you."

Nieta was shocked. They were all defending her.

"So if she doesn't live in your city, and doesn't work for you, or anything," said Sam, "that means she doesn't have to abide by your rules and your demands."

Nieta was on the verge of tears again. But this time, they were going to be happy.

"She's one of us now," said Garrett, glaring the king right in the eye.

"Why do you want her?" asked a nobleman. "Is Tipa that desperate to have a rich family in their town?"

"A rich family?" asked Creston. "We don't want her because she has money."

"We want her because she's our friend," said Garrett. "You jerks are too dumb to realize that friendship is more important than money. So stop trying. As I said, she's one of us now."

"Wait," pleaded Denilla. "Please stay, Lady Nieta! Please!"

Nieta looked her mentor right in the eye.

"No," she said, and she and the rest of the caravan turned around and walked away.

**00000000000000000000000**

"What do you mean you're staying here?" asked Nieta.

"I told you," said Lianora. "Sam is almost feeling better, and Garrett, Mika, and Ray still have injuries from Goblin Wall that are being healed. They should take a break."

"So why are you staying?" asked Star.

"Seeing that I'm the only one whose got a lot of money on her hands to pay for all them, not to mention my skill in magic, I'm staying to watch them. But I'm also going to keep an eye on the nobles, to make sure they don't try anything. So now, you, Nieta, and Creston go to Tida and get the myrrh. We'll stay here."

"But…I could stay," protested Nieta.

"No you can't. We're never going to let those nasty nobles get their filthy hands on you," said Lia. "You're leaving and that's that."

"Alright," said Nieta. She and Star turned to walk back to the caravan. But Nieta heard a faint voice.

"Hey, Nieta!"

She turned and saw Garrett, leaning up against a tree, holding his spear. He tossed to her.

"Use it well, just in case," he said, smiling.

It was a simple gesture, but Nieta understood.

"Thank you, Garrett. Thank you."

Nieta hopped into the caravan. Star flicked the reigns, and they started to move towards Tida.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Finally, done with Alfitaria. So now we understand Nieta a little more. Yay!

I know in the game there's a princess, but there's GOT to be a king. I mean, come on. Also, the princess isn't missing. YET!

Also, another update: MINI CHAPTERS! These chapters are usually events that are parallel to the story. For example, there will be a chapter about Tida, and then a chapter of what everyone else was doing while the gang was at Tida.

Favorite Parts: Nieta's story, and when they were all defending Nieta from the king. I really like that part, because it shows how close the caravan has bonded.

Next Chapter: Tida. A ruined village, showing what happens when a caravan fails to deliver myrrh to it's down. The three caravanners are determined to succeed. But when faced with dark beasts and undead armies, have they met their match?


	18. Tida: Village of Dead

We have an important announcement. Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles shall be discontinued…

…

PSSSSSH! Yeah right! Just kidding! Just attempting a dark joke, seeing that this was a dark chapter.

So yeah. Tida. Tida. TIDA! The level that came out of a horror novel. Only Star, Nieta, and Creston are gonna be in this one.

Star and Nieta are going to be so friggin' scared. XD

By the way, for everyone who thought the king was a total ass in the last chapter: He isn't. That subject will be lightly touched upon in the next chapters.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I know that in some levels, different monsters appear after you go through the level more than once (for example, griffins appear in River Belle Path). I might use monsters from later forms of a level when the caravan goes through a level (for example, a Cerberus appearing in the first trip through goblin wall, when a Cerberus will only appear after the second trip through).

So then, sit back, relax, and grab something to eat, because here's the next chapter!

**000000000000000000000000000000**

As the caravan rolled along, Creston glanced at Nieta sitting beside him. Star was sitting at the helm, driving the caravan along.

"Are you alright?" asked the tall Yuke. Nieta glanced up quickly.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Nieta, rubbing her head. "The whole marriage thing stressed me out a bit, that's all."

"I was surprised at the king's attitude," said Star, from the front. "I thought he would be a lot more considerate, at least…"

"He's not bad," said Nieta. "I actually liked him as a kid. But a king has to remain powerful. He feared that all the trouble I was causing would cause more problems. A king has to put his kingdom before a single person, so in order to restore order, I had to be "tamed".

"But it's still not right," argued Star.

"I'm not saying it's right, but I understand him," said Nieta, helping herself to a gourd potato.

Creston glanced out at the front of the caravan, then stiffened. "We're almost to Tida," he said, sharply.

Nieta looked out towards the village.

Even from here, all three of the caravanners (and Mog)could sense a chill in the air, as they looked at the village, high on a rocky ridge with gray clouds over it.

Everyone was silent for a while. Eventually, Star broke the silence.

"Do we really have to go there?" asked Star.

"Yes," answered Creston simply, shrugging his shoulders. "We need the myrrh. Plus, it's better that we get it over with, and hopefully, we will never have to go there again."

"Then let's get it over with," said Nieta with a sigh.

"It won't be easy," warned Star. "And we're here."

**0000000000000000000000000**

Nieta gulped. Staying back at Alfitaria didn't seem like such a bad idea now.

Creston looked around. "Wow…," he whispered.

The once sunshine-filled town was a bleak, desolate wasteland. Dead trees and plants were littered all around. Now and again, and old run down house could be seen, with rotting wood falling apart. The grass was dark green and dead looking. Nothing truly seemed to live in this village- or, more appropriately, _ex-village. _The village of Tida was truly a nightmare come to life.

"Well then," said Creston cheerfully, ignoring the horror around them. "Shall we get going?"

"This is no time for jokes, Creston!" said Star indignantly.

"Good point," agreed Creston. "Look!"

Dashing toward the caravanners were two giant beasts. They resembled the Tiny Worms of Mushroom Forest, but were a lot bigger. Star's eyes widened. Mog almost dropped the chalice.

"Carrion Worms," muttered Creston. "Parasites who feed off the remains of this village. Watch out, you two. They're poisonous."

"Got it!" said Nieta, dashing toward the worms. One swung its antenna at her, but Nieta rolled out of the way, and stabbed the creature in the side. The worm then charged up its energy to release a powerful thunder attack. Nieta dodged again and stabbed the creature in the head. It made a small gurgling cry, curled up, and died.

Star was battling with the second worm. The creature dashed towards, causing Star to leap back. She charged up a fire attack, and burned the worm. The enflamed monster spat poison furiously at Star. Star coughed, finding it hard to breath.

"Shit," swore Creston. He quickly charged a blizzard spell, and released it, sending it at the worm. The creature froze solid, and later dissolved into miasma, signaling that it had died.

Creston walked over and cast a clear spell on Star.

"Thanks," said Star. Creston just nodded. The three caravanners continued on, walking along a path. Eventually they were faced with new enemies: a gremlin, and two Hell Plants.

The gremlin cackled shrilly, and ran forward towards Nieta. But before he reached her, Nieta hurled her spear at the creature. The weapon embedded itself in the monster's stomach, and it fell over dead, with the wicked grin still on its face.

Creston, meanwhile, sent a fire spell at the Hell Plants. Star then ran forward, sword in her hand, and slashed the plants apart, although not before one shot a seed at her. Star barely managed to deflect the seed, and cut up the other plant.

"Sheesh," muttered Creston, scratching his back. "These enemies are all over the place, huh?"

"What has Tida become?" asked Nieta, with a shudder.

"Tida has become a nightmare," came a rasping, low voice from behind them.

Nieta and Star both turned around. Then they both screamed. Creston whirled around and was met with a gruesome sight. Mog also spun around and screamed with the girls.

Standing before them, undead and bony, was a skeleton. He was dressed in battle armor from head to toe. Some bones were missing from his frame, but he was still an intimidating figure. Red eyes gleamed under his helmet, and a wicked-looking cutlass was held in one hand. In the other rested, a shield.

Behind him was another skeleton, although this one was dressed differently. This one was wearing an orange hat, as well as orange and brown clothes. In this skeleton's hands rested a staff, making it obvious that this undead monster was a mage.

The first skeleton let out a humorless laugh. "You seem surprised," he rasped, his voice harsh. "Everyone believes that nothing lives in Tida. But as you can plainly see, they are wrong."

Creston tried to speak, but he found that words could not escape his mouth. Only one managed to come out. "How…?"

"It doesn't matter how," said the mage, his voice slightly nasal, but with a harsh edge to it. "All that matters is that we still exist."

"Don't be rude, Graeston," said the first skeleton.

"You can't order me around, Byone," retorted the other skeleton. He turned to the adventurers. "What brings you here?"

"We're…looking for myrrh…for our village," said Nieta, trembling. "You'll…let us take it…right?"

That had been a wrong thing to say. The skeletons both raised their weapons.

"No caravanner shall ever take myrrh from Tida's tree," hissed the mage. "We won't allow it!"

With a roar, he sent a fire spell blazing at Nieta. Nieta let out a gasp of pain, and moved away from the scorching fire.

"Hey!" shouted Star. "Cut it out!" But her pleas were cut off as the other skeleton swung his cutlass at her. She and Byone became engaged in a vicious sword fight.

Creston acted fast. Charging up a fire spell, he sent the magic at Graeston. Graeston shrieked in agony. Skeletons hated fire.

Nieta ran forward and swung her spear at the dead magician. As she hit him, his body crumpled, and turned into a pile of bones.

Star was still dueling with Byone at this point. Star thrust her sword at the skeleton, but he parried the blow and stabbed her left shoulder. Star let out a cry, and sliced the undead warrior's head off. As if a spell had been broken, the skeleton's body crumpled like his comrade's.

Nieta glanced at her companions. "Is this…a dream?" she asked. Creston walked over to one of the bone piles. He felt them, and shuddered.

"No," he said slowly. "This is a true nightmare. These skeletons are affected by powerful magic. Although I don't WHAT could've caused this…whatever you call it."

"Horror?" asked Star.

"Yeah…that's a good word for it. Anyways, let's continue…"

The three of them walked on with Nieta and Star jumping at every noise. Creston tried not to show his annoyance at this, but remained tense in case another squad of monsters showed up.

Nearby, a branch cracked. Star and Nieta both freaked out, and grabbed Creston in fear.

"It was…just…a branch," muttered Creston, scowling behind his mask. '_How'd I get stuck with these two? I bet Lianora would keep her cool here.'_

Another branch cracked, in front of them. Creston snapped out of his thoughts, and looked forward. Up ahead were four monsters. A bomb, a Hell Plant, and two Carrion Worms.

"Quiet," whispered Creston, hoping the other two caravanners were listening. Silently, he charged a blast of blizzard magic. He sent flying at the bomb. The bomb cried out, alerting its companions, as the spell struck the monster. It flew into the Hell Plant as it exploded, causing the demonic plant to burst into flames and die.

"Nice!" shouted Star, as she ran forward to confront the worms. However, she ran back in the opposite direction as both worms aimed poisonous blasts at her. Nieta charged forward with her spear, then leaped in the air. Pointing her spear downwards, she stabbed the worm right in the back. The monstrous bug screeched, and the other worm knocked Nieta off its partner with an antenna. The first worm let out a pitiful whimper and died. Nieta recovered from the blow and hurled her spear at the worm. It struck a glancing blow to the monster's side. As the Carrion Worm advanced upon the Lilty, Star appeared behind it, and sliced the monster in half.

Nieta wiped sweat off of her head. "Dang…these things are TOUGH!"

"Yeah…," said Star, panting. Then she noticed something rolling out of a Carrion Worm's corpse. A small key appear from the dissolving body.

Creston looked around, then pointed. "There's a door over there. I suppose the key unlocks it."

"Alright then," said Star, picking up the key. "Ew…there's still some worm guts on it…"

"Didn't need to know that," said Nieta, pulling a face.

"Sorry," apologized Star, before placing the key in the lock. The old, wooden door in front of them opened, a low creaking noise emitting from it. The three caravanners glanced at each other, then headed on through.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

"Hey, look what I found!" called Star from a tree. Nieta looked back at the Clavat. Further up ahead, Creston stopped walking and looked back at the two questioningly before walking over.

Creston took an envelope from her. He took one look at it, and opened it.

"Creston, that could be private-," began Star.

"Does it matter?" asked Nieta.

"The person who wrote this is probably dead, anyway," said Creston logically. "I mean, look where we found it."

Star couldn't argue with that.

Creston opened the letter. It was torn and old, with some rips along the edges. He scanned the writing across the page.

"It's a love letter," he confirmed, looking at the two. Star covered her mouth in surprise.

"That's so sad," said Nieta, after she read the letter for herself.

"It's like a romantic tragedy," said Star. She suddenly had a mental image of her and Sam exchanging love letters. Then she realized what she was thinking, and shook her head, clearing away her thoughts.

'_What was I thinking?' _Thought Star. '_Sam is just a really good friend.'_

"Well, enough romance," said Creston bluntly. "Let's keep going. We don't have all the time in the world."

The three of them moved on until they reached an odd sight. A bar of ice blocked a pathway, forming a barrier.

"Ice?" questioned Nieta curiously. "How does ice get here? I mean, Tida's chilly, but it isn't freezing…"

"More magic," responded Creston, gazing at the ice thoughtfully. "As I said, there is a powerful creature causing all of this."

"So how do we get past it?" asked Star. Creston responded by casting a fire spell, melting the ice.

"Enchanted ice still melts," the Yuke said, walking forward.

Once they reached the other side, however, the caravanners were in for a shock. Two sets of bony hands appeared from the shadows. One grabbed Creston, raising a sword to his throat, while another grabbed Nieta. Star looked around frantically, only to find a staff pointed at her.

"Well, well, well," said the skeletal mage in front of her, blood red eyes gleaming. "What have we here, hmm?" He looked over at his companions. "Sukull, Rearper, keep a good hold on them."

"Yes, Sepulcherre," droned Sukull, keeping his hold on Nieta.

"I take it you're here for our tree," said Sepulcherre coolly.

"I take it you're here to stop us," replied Creston sardonically.

"No, not really," said Sepulcherre in a bored voice. "But, hey, you all deserve it for what you did."

"Which was?" asked Star, the staff still pointed at her.

"Don't play dumb," answered Rearper in a gravelly voice.

"The point is, we have our reasons for the deaths of caravanners," said Sepulcherre. "So we're obviously not going to let you leave alive-"

"Now!" shouted Creston sharply. Creston elbowed Sukull in the ribs, causing the skeletons to drop his weapon in shock. Star, meanwhile, whipped around and struck Rearper with her blade, causing the living corpse to cry out in pain.

"Impudent pests!" hissed Sepulcherre, preparing to cast a magic spell. But another strike with Star's sword knocked him into a wall, causing the mage's body to slump to the floor.

"Sepulcherre!" shouted Sukull, dueling with Creston, as he dodged a lightning strike. Creston jumped forward and hit him with his hammer, knocking the skeleton out cold. Rearper glanced over at Sepulcherre.

"Let's get out of here!" shouted the mage, as the two skeleton's fled, dragging their comrade with them.

"Cowards," said Creston spitefully. But as he turned to check on his fellow companions, Sepulcherre aimed his staff at the Yuke.

BANG!

A loud noise echoed throughout the broken city, as Creston watched, shocked as Nieta flew backwards, her body lit in flames. She fell against the wall.

Creston was astonished. That attack had been meant for him.

Star yelled and rushed over to tend to the Lilty. Creston snapped out of his daze, and went to help her.

"Bastards," the Lilty cursed. "They fight dirty."

"They have an entire afterlife to fight, so it doesn't matter whether or not they play fair," said Star matter-of-factly. Creston cast a healing spell, while Star cast a clear spell. After her headache cleared, the three friends travelled on.

After a few more battles with the skeleton guards, Creston spotted a bridge. Motioning forward, they walked towards it.

Out of nowhere, a Hell Plant reared its ugly head, shrieking a warning to the other monsters. Two Carrion Worms and two skeleton guards appeared on the bridge.

"What is this?" exclaimed one guard, turning to face the other. "How did these caravanners get so far, Derath?"

"I don't know, and I don't care, Furnerall," snarled the second skeleton. "All I know is intruders are to be killed. Now stop asking questions and get moving!"

At those words, caravanners and monsters alike rushed into battle (except for the Hell Plant, as Star sliced the thing's "head" off as she dashed forward).

Creston fought with Derath, evading the skeletal creature's blows, and casting powerful magic at him in return.

Meanwhile, Star dueled with Furnerall, but was having trouble due to a Carrion Worm send thunder blasts at her. Nieta, however, , was doing fine, skewering the worm she was fighting, and leaving it to die as she fought with the other worm.

Star glared up at Furnerall. "Now that that worm is gone, you're finished."

Furnerall's eyes shone with malice. "You were finished as soon as you got in this fight."

Their swords continued to clash, metallic sounds ringing all across the area. Finally, one of them got the upper hand.

Furnerall managed to parry Star's strike, and drove his rapier into ribs. Star screamed in pain, as the skeleton twisted the weapon in her body. Blood welled from the Clavat's wound.

"Star!" yelled Nieta. Furiously, she beat the other worm to death, and ran over. She struck Furnerall away from her friend. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but- LOOK OUT!" Star's reply changed to a warning, as Furnerall lunged forward, fury in his eyes. As Nieta moved out of the way, Star used a quick uppercut with her weapon. Furnerall's body was sliced cleanly in two, and his bones clattered to the ground.

"Furnerall!" roared Derath in rage. But he was distracted long enough to be hit with Fira from Creston. His body was blasted backwards and over the edge of the bridge. Creston looked down to see the warrior's body on a rock far below, as water from the river in the gorge washed the bones away.

"Phew…," said Creston. "What a hassle. Star, are you alright?"

Quickly casting a heal spell on her, he looked at the wound. Reaching into his bag, he started to wrap bandage on the cut.

"What am I going to do with all of you," said Creston, half to himself. "Always getting injured…"

"Sorry…," said Star, wincing at the pain.

"It's alright," sighed Creston, standing up. Star stared at the Yuke's handiwork. It was comfortable, and the bleeding had stopped.

"Are you okay to move on?" asked Nieta. Star nodded painfully.

"Good, because I found a key in the body of that dead worm," said Nieta, pointing to the corpse.

"And I'm guessing that it goes there," said Creston, pointing to a large wooden door. The group looked over at the door, seeing that it led to large field.

"I sense the myrrh tree," said Creston. "But I also sense a lot of power beyond that door. We need to be prepared."

"Well, let's get it over with," said Star.

"Then we can get out of this nightmare," added Nieta, shivering.

Creston took the key from the Lilty and inserted it into the keyhole. The large door opened slowly. An ominous wind was heard as the caravanners and moogle walked through the door, deeper into the heart of Tida.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Long chapter is LOOOOOOOOOONG!

That wraps up another chapter. This is one of my favorites.

Favorite Parts: The love letter, and every battle with the skeletons.

The skeletons are without a doubt, the strongest "race" in the game (I mean goblins, orcs, and lizardmen, not behemoths and zus, people). Also their battles are more humanlike, seeing that the skeleton's a rather humanoid in appearance (not like a dinosaur skeleton).

On another note, three reoccurring monsters appeared in this chapter: The skeletons Sepulcherre, Rearper, and Sukull are going to appear in a later chapter. That chapter should be obvious to people who play the game (THINK SKELETONS).

Also, there is also a special thing in the skeleton's names. Each name is slightly edited from a word that has to do with death. I've conducted a list below:

Graeston = Gravestone  
Byone = Bone  
Sukull = Skull  
Rearper = Reaper  
Sepulcherre = Sepulchre/ Sepulcher (two spellings)  
Derath = Death  
Furnerall = Funeral

This will only go for the skeletons of Tida. I couldn't do this for EVERY skeleton in the game.

Next Chapter: The three members of Tipa's caravan face off against the mighty guardian of the fallen village, who not only battles them, but gives them a brief history on how the fallen village came to be.

Garrett: My turn to request of review! Yeah! Even though I wasn't in this stupid chapter! This stinks! I should be kicking skeleton butt!

Star: Garrett, you're getting sidetracked…

Garrett: Fine! REVIEW, PEOPLE! DO IT- OR I'LL MESS YOU UP!

Star: Can you try that again, politely?

Garrett: Fine! PLEASE review- or I'll mess you up!

Mika: *sighs* He doesn't get it.

Creston: *smacks his helmet* Idiot.


	19. Those who have fallen

Oh boy! It's time for another chapter to brighten up your day.

In this chapter, Creston, Star, and Nieta face off against Armstrong (the giant killer house guy).

Other than Armstrong, not much happens, although there is some development with the characters at the end.

And notice in the last chapters, there were some tiny hints at Star liking Sam, and an even TINIER hint at Creston liking Lianora.

Skeletons: WE SHALL RETURN!

They're bitter about the total ass-kicking they got ^_^.

Anyhoo, LET THE CHAPTER BEGIN! RARGH!

**0000000000000000000000**

Star, Nieta, and Creston walked into a large field with patchy grass. They looked around.

The most obvious feature of this area was a giant, rundown, demented house in the center of field. It seemed old and dilapidated. Among other things were bones (which the caravanners eyed with caution, after they had experienced the skeletons), occasional pieces of wood, and fungus.

But still, all three caravanners were confused. They were all thinking the same thing.

Where was the source of the power they had sensed? And where was the "boss" of this area?

That question was about to be answered. A rumble was heard, and the Yuke, Lilty, and Clavat looked at the old house, in which the rumble was coming from. Then a cannon-like object on the side of the building let out a blast of energy. The house then suddenly leaped in the air and whirled around to face the three travelers (and Mog).

The house was demented, alright. It was built on top of a small tree, and the roots seemed to act as its legs. One arm was made up of a staircase (or a bridge-it was rather hard to tell). The other arm was the cannon they saw before. The house was covered in spores and fungus. The majority of the house made up this monster's body, but at the top was a circular structure that had what seemed to be an eye. The eye glowed red, and stared down at the Tipa caravanners. As the creature came to life, so did the skeletons, but they did not attack.

The trio was in for another shock: the monster-house spoke to them.

"Greetings, caravanners," said the being. Its voice was very low and deep, and both a whispering and an echoing quality to it. "What brings you…to the fallen village…of Tida…?"

Star glanced at Creston. She looked frightened. Creston wouldn't admit it, but this monster scared him; the politely asked question, and the strange appearance were all very chilling to him. Goblins and Orcs he could handle- freaky houses, not so much.

"We-we…we're here for our village," explained Creston. "We're the caravan for the village of Tipa."

Nieta was scared of the reaction the beast would have, as the skeletons were angry at her for mentioning that. But the monster simply moved a bit backwards on its root legs.

"Ah…caravans," he said thoughtfully, with nostalgia. "I know…that feeling…I remember times like that…long ago…"

"W-who are you?" asked Star, more curious than spooked at the moment.

"My name…," said the creature,"…is Armstrong. I take my name…from the family who used to live inside of me…before they perished…"

"So…you are from Tipa?" asked Armstrong. "I remember…Tipa…was a lovely town, or so my family used to say…I take it you are good people…"

"Yes, we are," said Nieta. "We only want to do what's best for our village."

"'Tis the way…of a caravanner," said Armstrong, before letting out a long, shuddering breath.

"Um…Mr. Armstrong?" asked Star awkwardly. The house turned his single eye towards her. "What exactly happened to Tida…to…?"

"Make it a nightmare?" finished Armstrong. Star nodded.

"Ah, yes…I remember it as though it were…yesterday…," said Armstrong, his voice taking on a distant tone. "No matter how much he desires my memories…he shall not have them…"

"Who-?" Creston began to ask, but Armstrong continued before the question was complete.

"It was another day…filled with sunshine…Tida was known for its sunny skies…everyone was eagerly awaiting the return of our caravan…"

"But one day…we received a letter…apparently the Tida caravan…had been found slain…by monsters…"

Star let out a gasp.

"None of the people…knew how to react…they all thought it was a cruel joke…so they did nothing…even when the miasma was right at front gate, none of the people…tried to stop it…or avoid it…we all hoped in the end, someone, our caravan…any caravan…would come and save us…but that hope…was not enough."

Nieta realized this could very well happen to Tipa, and resolved to work harder for now on.

"In the end…miasma consumed the village…monsters spawned from all around…and then **he **came…and ate all of the citizens' memories…after they died, he turned them into undead soldiers…I've kept them alive all these years…"

"Who?" asked Creston for the second time. "Who ate the memories?"

This question was met by a loud hiss from both the skeletons.

"We do not speak of him!" hissed Armstrong, and for the first time he sounded angry. "I despise that being with my entire existence. I will not say his name!"

Then his voice returned to the tired, nostalgic tone. "Anyway…I spawned to life from miasma, and with it, memories of my former family came rushing to me…ever since…I have guarded the fallen village of Tida…even though it has become an area…of great evil…it is still my home…"

"I'm…I'm so sorry," said Star sincerely. It was true. A few stray tears were streaming down her face. "Your story…it's…so sad…"

"Yes…," replied the creature, his tone sad. "Yes it is…"

"Well, anyway…," said Creston. "Thanks for telling us your story. I'm glad we could listen. But the myrrh tree is up ahead, and we need to get it as soon as possible. After that, I promise we'll go.

"Go?" asked Armstrong, but Creston knew this was a rhetorical question. "No…I do not believe you shall…"

"But you said-" began Nieta.

"No caravanner shall ever take myrrh from Tida's tree," said Armstrong, his rumbling voice echoing throughout the village. "That tree is…a memorial…to the people of Tida. I shall not allow traitorous hands to take it."

"Traitorous?" asked Nieta. "We never betrayed you!"

"No?" said Armstrong. "Did any village try to help us? Did any caravan…bring us a chalice to save us from the impending doom…that is miasma?"

"Well, I don't know-" began Creston.

"No. No one helped Tida survive in its time of need. So why should Tida help you? Tida has fallen. What goes around, comes around…your villages…are next to fall."

"But…we weren't alive back then!" protested Star. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"No…but you have not done anything right, either…," replied the living house calmly, as if talking about killing did not faze him. "The other villages had time to send us a letter, but not enough time to send us some myrrh…"

As he spoke, the two skeletons moved closer to the caravanners, and started to circle them, staffs raised.

"Tida has fallen, but I shall bring down every village with all my strength. You shall know my pain. Goodbye, Tipa caravan…," said Armstrong.

Creston tensed up. "Get ready guys!"

Star was nervous. _'This creature is sad…but he takes out his sorrow on the other villages…so vengeful…but do we really deserve it?'_

With a deep breath, Armstrong waved his arm, and the battle commenced.

The skeletons rushed forward from both sides, and began to cast spells. As the blizzard spell circles exploded under the three warriors' feet, both Nieta and Star leaped out of the way. Creston was not so lucky. He found himself frozen solid.

Armstrong crawled forward and swung his bridge arm in a wide arc, sending the frozen Yuke sprawling across the field. When Creston struck the ground, the ice around him shattered, showing that this house was a force to be reckoned with.

"Uh…," groaned Creston, shaking his head.

Nieta ran up to one of the offending skeletons, and stabbed him furiously. Her spear went straight through the corpse's body. Then, she spun around and flung the dead skeleton of her spear, and at the other skeletal mage. Both warriors collided, and fell into one big pile of bones.

"My warriors…shall be avenged," rasped Armstrong. Turning to face Nieta, he arched his body back and sent needles at her. Nieta, who was unprepared for this speedy attack, was hit by a shower of sharp metal needles.

"Ow!" she yelled.

Star, meanwhile, had snuck up behind the terrible creature. She struck him with her sword twice, before the creature turned and smacked her away with his arm. Creston used Star's distraction to his advantage and sent a fireball straight at Armstrong. The monster groaned in pain as the fire struck his wooden body. Armstrong caught on fire for a short period of time before spinning around, putting out the flames with the wind surrounding him as he spun.

"I shall not let you pass," droned Armstrong. As Nieta and Star both dashed toward him, he let out a gas surrounding him. Both the Clavat and the Lilty felt their bodies slow down. They had both fallen in Armstrong's trap. Armstrong then rotated in a circle, knocking both females back with his arm.

Creston was sending spells of all kinds at Armstrong, yet Armstrong managed to dodge most of them. Armstrong crawled toward Creston, surprisingly quick for a creature of his bulk, and brought his bridge arm down. Creston managed to roll out of the way in time, but stumbled over and fell.

Armstrong used this to his advantage as Creston had before. As Creston got up from the ground, he aimed his cannon arm at the Yuke. He fired, sending the Yuke flying backwards. Creston managed to stay on his feet, but then noticed something. He couldn't move!

"Guys…I can't move!" he shouted. "Watch out…he knows how to use a stop spell!"

"Wait there!" shouted Star. She moved to Creston as quickly as she could, although it was difficult with the slow spell on her. She managed to get over there, while Nieta distracted Armstrong. She cast a clear spell on Creston, who cast a clear spell on her in return.

"Thanks!" said Creston, stretching.

"No problem," responded Star. "Thank you."

"WILL YOU TWO STOP THANKING EACH OTHER AND HELP ME!" screamed Nieta, as Armstrong kept firing his stop cannon at her. But her complaining ceased after Armstrong tried to slam her with his arm. She raised her weapon to defend herself.

CRACK!

Armstrong's strike had split Nieta's spear in two. She was shocked and had no weapon to defend herself. But then she remembered what she had on her back.

'_Use it well, just in case.' _Garrett's words came rushing back to her. She drew Garrett's spear from the place on her back. She would be able to hold on until Creston and Star came to her aid.

As the two ran over, however, Armstrong leaned back, and inhaled.

"What's going on?" asked Star.

She didn't have to wait long for an answer. Armstrong let out a rasping breath and fired a poisonous fog at the two oncoming caravanners. He then returned his attention to Nieta, who had been striking him with Garrett's spear the entire time.

"Hold your breath!" shouted Creston. Star covered her mouth, and smoke floated by them harmlessly.

Armstrong struck Nieta, and then moved back, firing needles at all of the caravanners. Despite his strong show of strength, the guardian of Tida was starting to wear down. Creston started to notice the monster's speed starting to slow down.

"We're wearing him out!" the Yuke called to his friends. "Don't give up!" Both girls nodded.

"I shall not fall…," assured Armstrong. "At least, not until your deaths…"

Aiming his cannon at Creston, he fired another stop blast, but his gradually slowing speed allowed Creston to dodge. Nieta rushed forward and stabbed his house-body furiously, but he swung his bridge arm and struck her on the head.

"Be careful Nieta!" shouted Star, as she moved backwards to avoid a poisonous blast. "He may be slowing down, but he's still strong.

She ran forward, ducking under a barrage of needles. Armstrong lost sight of her, and spun around, searching for the Clavat. However, he stopped at the sound of splintering wood. He looked to his right and saw that his bridge-arm had the Clavat's sword piercing it. As he saw, the old wood had started to split apart slightly. Armstrong knew that he had to end this battle soon, or else he may perish.

His thoughts were interrupted by a ball of fire striking him, courtesy of Creston. Armstrong was pushed backwards by the flames. He shook himself, trying to rid himself of any remaining flames. The creature started to put all his strength into the battle, using attacks and cannons in rapid succession. He sent barrage after barrage of needles, but to no avail. He would only strike glancing blows to the Tipa caravanners, that is, if he hit them at all. He felt stabs and strikes on every side of his body, as well as occasional burning, freezing, and electrical shocks. Armstrong was losing, but he would not give up.

Nieta ran forward, twirling Garrett's spear in her hand. Armstrong aimed a final cannon blast at her, in a last ditch effort to destroy those who had intruded into his home.

He missed.

Nieta leaped forward and drove her spear into the eye of the monster. It went straight through to the other side of the monster's "head".

As she pulled her spear out, Armstrong's body was twitching and shaking, and having small spasms all over. All that could be heard was his shuddering breaths, but Nieta suspected that he was screaming on the inside.

Armstrong shuddered and shook all over, as if he was having a fit. He looked over the three warriors who had defeated him.

"You three…," he said, his voice shaking. "I underestimated you…you are quite strong…to fight so hard, against these odds…all for your village…is very good of you…"

"I take back what I said," he gasped out, while the three caravanners moved back. "You are…indeed worthy…go…take myrrh from the tree…and with it…may the spirit that once brightened Tida village…live on…in you…"

With a final shuddering gasp, Armstrong froze still for a moment. The next, his body seemed to explode on the inside. His arm, legs, and head drooped over, as spores flew off of him and rained down in the dark, gloomy sky.

Creston stared at the house lying on the ground that had just been trying to kill them. He was afraid it was about to come back to life and attempt to murder them again. But this time, he thought that the house had been defeated for good.

"Is he gone?" asked Nieta, voicing the question in Creston's mind.

"I think so…and I hope so…," murmured Creston, gazing at the once-living house. "Boy…that was more difficult than I expected…sheesh."

Star looked at Armstrong sadly. "When you really think about it," the Clavat girl said, "he wasn't such a bad guy…he just wanted justice…in a matter of speaking."

"Well, anyways, at least we made it out alive," muttered Creston. "Come on; the tree is just ahead."

The three warriors and moogle walked along a path towards the tree. Star took the chalice from Mog and set it down in front of the tree. A drop of myrrh fell from the curving leaves (Were they leaves? No one was really sure WHAT they were) and landed into the chalice, filling it another third of the way.

"Another drop of myrrh, and we made it through the second year," commented Creston.

"Kupo!" came a voice behind them. The mail moogle ran up to the trio and handed them their letters. Although, this time it was different; Creston had actually received a letter.

Star read her letter over

_Dear Star,_

_How are you doing? Everything's good here. Meet a lot of people? Any new friends? Any __boys?__ It isn't the same without you on the ranch. Even Bessie seems to miss you. Write back, and come home soon!_

_-With love, Mom_

Star smiled, and hastily wrote a reply.

Nieta looked at her letter curiously.

_Hey Nieta!_

_How're ya doin'? Everything is good here. We've got a good chunk of orders for our clothes. Can you send us any supplies you find abroad, just in case? If you find any, that is. Also, if you go to Alfitaria, be careful. Although, if you run into any trouble there, Dad says that he'll kick any troublemaker's ass. Either way, have fun!_

_-Love, Big Sis_

Nieta smirked a little. Her father was a bit old to "kick some ass". But she wrote a kind reply all the same.

While the other two were viewing their letters, Creston stared at the envelope in his hand. He had no family in Tipa at all. Maybe Roland had sent it. Thinking it impolite not to read it, he opened the letter.

_Creston,_

_I hear from travelers that you have joined the Tipa caravan. That was your dream as a child, yes? Congratulations._

_Things are doing well for Shella. I'm enjoying myself here, although I miss your mother every day. However, now knowing that you're in a caravan, maybe you can come by and visit me. We could catch up, a bit._

_I am quite interested to hear about your journey, so come by soon. I simply MUST insist._

_-From, Your Father_

Creston read the letter once, then twice. And he felt the same feeling he had felt when he saw Armstrong. A rather frightened feel…no, not fright…anticipation…uneasiness.

Star and Nieta both read Creston's letter, saying that it was nice that Creston would get to visit his father. They thought it would be nice. Creston thought it would be awful.

'_Clever bastard,' _he thought. _'None of them understand what this letter truly means.'_

He set the paper down with a sigh. He leaned against the myrrh tree while Star and Nieta finished writing their responses. Once they had, he waved a hand to them.

"Come on," he said, smiling behind his mask. He would worry about his father later. "Let's get back. Our friends will be waiting for us."

Star and Nieta looked over. They were smiling, too. But Creston saw that they were uneasy smiles.

As they started to go back to the caravan, they knew that none of them would ever be the same again.

Tida had changed them.

Forever.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

Finally done. This chapter was WAY longer than I expected it to be.

Favorite parts: Armstrong's sad tale, Armstrong battle (duh), Creston's mysterious letter, and the final note at the end saying the Tida had changed them for good.

This chapter was DARK. Very DARK. Armstrong's story was included because it tells just HOW Tida came to perish. I used Armstrong in this manner because I sort of wanted a first-hand account of the downfall of Tida.

So- Armstrong. The way I see him is a very sad individual. I think that the spirits of the people who lived inside of him live on inside of him (basically- his resident's memories and experiences became Armstrong). However, I also see him as the ONLY monster to dislike "the memory eater" (I shall not say his name because of spoilers!), seeing that the "memory eater" destroyed his village. Therefore, Armstrong in this story has a sort of human side to him, but in a monstrous body.

As for Creston's letter. Ohoho~! I put that in because the next character chapter is Creston's. It's going to occur in the third year, at Shella, and will later continue in Rebena Te Ra. But a tiny little spoiler: Creston does NOT get along with his father.

Also, speaking of character chapters, I have most planned out, but the only two I'm having trouble with is Star and Mika. If anyone sends me an idea that I like and I use, then I'll dedicate Star or Mika's character chapter to that person :D.

Next Chapter: PARALLEL CHAPTER. While the three were at Tida, what did the other five caravanners do in Alfitaria? Watch Sam recover and have strange fantasies, Lianora worry, Garrett and Mika be pulled into a mystery, and Ray walk into the palace and have a chat with the king himself. All in the next installment of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles!


	20. Royal conversation, Mika steals a wallet

Time for another chapter. Due to my laptop being fixed (it had broke) I can update a lot quicker now!

So! This chapter…basically…uh…what went on in Alfitaria while Creston, Star, and Nieta were at Tida.

Sam is now completely cured (I don't wanna keep writing about how sick he is), Lianora worries about the three missing caravanners, Ray invades the royal palace and gives the guards a ticking off of a lifetime, and Mika and Garrett discover the princess is missing!

So, anyway, it is time for the chapter to begin! *party horn blows*

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

While Creston, Star, and Nieta were in Tida, things in Alfitaria were…well…weird.

Apparently, rumors were going around about everything; the Tipa caravan, the princess, deaths, monsters, and of course, Nieta. Lianora was getting a bit sick of hearing whispering every time she walked down the street. It sure didn't help her worrying, that's for sure.

She was worried that Creston was going to get hurt in Tida. Star and Nieta, too (but mostly Creston- though she wouldn't admit it). The whole "showdown" with the king made the Tipa caravan rather infamous in the big city as well, so naturally, people stared at the Yuke female as she walked throughout the markets and buildings of Alfitaria.

As she waited outside of a building, Lia was going over her supplies for when the caravanners went to Moschet Manor. Food-check, weapons-check, randomly assorted items-check.

She heard a door open, and she looked over at Sam.

The Clavat was smiling as he walked out of the building. "Completely cured," he said. "And this time, it's true."

Lia smiled behind her mask. It was good that Sam was completely on his feet again. "That's great news!"

"Yeah…now I can finally be closer to you guys without worrying about infecting you," joked Sam, standing beside her, leaning against a wall. "Although, I consider most of it thanks to you guys- I mean, you paying for my bills, Creston letting me rest in his house, Star taking care of me- you're all such good friends."

"It's what friends are for," said Lia simply.

Sam looked around curiously. "Have you seen the others anywhere?"

"Last I saw, Mika and Garrett headed off to get weapon upgrades. As for Ray, I have no idea. I just hope Garrett's head has cooled. I don't want him getting in trouble."

"Nah, Garrett's fine. I'm more worried about Ray," said Sam. "Ray is always looking for trouble…"

Sam had no idea how right he was.

**000000000000000000000000**

The king of Alfitaria was reading a letter sent to him from Marr's Pass, when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," said the king. A guard walked in. "What is it?"

"Um…your majesty…you have a visitor," explained the guard.

"Who is it?" asked the king sharply.

"A Selkie, sir," replied his guard. "He snuck up the wall and entered the sitting room through the window."

"Send him away," said the king, slightly irritated. He wasn't in the mood for conversation ever since the Nieta incident. The king was feeling continuously guilty with the way he acted.

"Sir…," said the guard awkwardly. "It's the Selkie from the Tipa caravan. And he said to me 'Tell Mr. King this just can't wait.'"

The king remembered those same words from before. He got up from the chair he was seated in.

"Very well," said the king. "I'll go speak with him…

**000000000000000000000000**

The king walked into his sitting room. The room was well furnished, with about four armchairs and a sofa. A fancy carpet was on the floor, and a fireplace was behind the chairs. There was also a table, with flowers and a fruit bowl on it (which, surprisingly, was empty).

The king looked over at the sofa to see Ray lying there. He had his feet kicked up onto the cushions, and was twirling a striped apple core in his hand. Several other apple cores were lying beside him (that explained the missing fruit).

'_Typical Selkie,'_ thought the king, a little annoyed. But he didn't let his frustration show.

"How can I help you?" asked the king.

"Oh, just looking for some friendly conversation," replied Ray cheerfully.

"I don't think it's just that," answered the king, searching the Selkie's face. Too bad Ray was hard to read.

"Okay, ya caught me," said Ray.

"Then what is this about?" demanded the king.

"About how you were acting like a total ass when the whole "Nieta marriage" thing went down."

The king winced. He wasn't used to being treated with disrespect…well, he wouldn't call it disrespect, as the king knew it was true. More like brutal honesty. But he hadn't expected Ray to be so…blunt. Though he had to admire the Selkie's boldness.

"I mean, tell you the truth, you were being a pompous, self important jerk. Of course you're a king, so I could expect that…"

The king's eyes hardened. "That's a stereotype," he said, small anger creeping into his tone. "You shouldn't judge me."

"You judged me as soon as you found out I ate your apples," Ray shot back. The king winced for a second time.

"Touché," said the king, sitting down in an arm chair. "It's Ray, isn't it?"

"The one and only," said Ray, flashing a grin.

"So what is this about? You can't have come just to tell me this."

"Well, I want to understand a little," said Ray. "YOU would know about marriage issues, seeing that you had an inter-tribe marriage. Although, I wouldn't complain, seeing that your daughter is quite good-looking. But I personally thought you would understand Nieta's dilemma a bit, seeing how you got gossiped about after YOUR marriage, Mr. King."

"You're absolutely right," agreed the Lilty. Ray raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You see, when Nieta was young, I liked her. A lot. But then the upper-class nobles complained to me. They wondered why Nieta was allowed to roughhouse and act improper while THEIR children couldn't."

"But not only that. You see, there's a thing every rich person wants. Money."

Ray nodded, understanding. "But you haven't explained the whole story," he pointed out.

"Well, you see, when they asked to set up the marriage, I refused at first. But then they told me how all of the children were misbehaving, and how Nieta's behavior was causing uproar. I told them how I talked to Nieta, but they didn't believe me. They told me if I didn't take action, I would lose the respect of the people," continued the king.

"At first, I didn't care. I had already lost respect for marrying a Clavat, and that hadn't bothered me at all. But, the problem is, I'm very old. I'm going to pass away in a few years, and then my daughter will take the throne. Then the nobles said that if I had lost respect of the people, so had the princess, and that something unfortunate could happen once she took the throne."

"So they _threatened _you?" asked Ray incredulously.

"No," said the king wearily. "They implied it though. But I couldn't prove that they directly threatened me. So then, I agreed to their idea, to protect my daughter."

"And sacrificing Nieta," muttered Ray.

"Yes and no," said the king. "When her father came to talk to me about her daughter's behavior, I told him entirely that I did not disapprove of her behavior, and it was all an act. I believe Nieta mentioned to you how she left the village, correct?"

"Yeah, Garrett told me her story," said Ray, not exactly sure where this was going.

"I talked to her father the day before she left. I told him that I would help him smuggle her out. So the day Nieta's family left, I held a speech, while they moved out inconspicuously."

"So wait…you HELPED Nieta?" asked Ray, stunned.

"Yes…I was planning to help her this time, but you already smuggled her out, so there was no need," explained the Lilty.

The Selkie had not expected this at all. "Wow…sorry about the whole bastard thing…"

"No, those insults were correct," argued the king, scratching his head. "Forgive me, but with the people watching, I had to keep up the act that I had before. That way, my family and Nieta, are both in no danger."

Ray nodded. "Gotta admit…nice plan, Mr. King."

"Well, I'm just glad we understand each other now," said the king getting up.

"Yep…nice chattin' with ya," said Ray, before he walked over to a window and hopped out.

The king stared after him. "Did he honestly come in through the window?"

**0000000000000000000000000000**

Ray hopped down from the window, waving cheerfully to the Lilty guards (who were giving him death glares, angry at how easily he had evaded them), and walked off into the city streets. Casually, he took a striped apple from a food stand, unnoticed, and walked on, looking around the big town.

Up ahead, he caught sight of Garrett and Mika. He walked over to them.

"Hey there, caravanners!" he said, waving. They both looked up at him.

"Where the heck have you been?!" asked Mika.

"Were you worried about me?" asked Ray, winking. Mika rolled her eyes.

"No, we were wondering if you've seen the princess," asked Mika.

"Not where I was," commented Ray, taking a bite out of his apple. He offered it to Mika "Apple?"

"Please," said the female Selkie, taking a bite out of it. "Mmmm…good…where'd ya get it?"

"Food stand. They didn't mind that I took it."

"You stole it, didn't you?" asked Mika, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," said Ray.

"Nice one," said Mika, high fiving him with a smirk.

"Uh…anyways," interrupted Garrett, sipping some spring water. "Where HAVE you been Ray?"

"Talkin' with the king," responded Ray, taking another bite out of his apple.

Garrett spit out his water into Mika's hair, much to her chagrin.

"WHAT!?!" he yelled.

"I said that I talked with the king," repeated Ray.

"B-but…wait…what?!" asked Garrett.

"How'd you get in?" asked Mika, gaping.

"Window."

"And it worked? I'll remember that next time I sneak into a building…"

"Will you two both stop talking about things that are illegal?" asked Garrett, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Ray. "What'd you talk to the king about?"

"Nieta," answered Ray.

"Oh…," said Garrett, his tone more flat. "The bastard…"

"Hey, he ain't so bad," said Ray. Garrett gave him an "are-you-crazy?" look. "Long story. I'm sure you'll all hear it later after I talk to Nieta about it. So, what happened to the princess?"

"Well you see…," said Garrett.

**0000000000000000****FLASHBACK****00000000000000**

_Garrett took the weapon from the blacksmith. "Sweet!" He paid the man, and was on his way._

_Mika was waiting for him, eating a cob of round corn. "What took you so long?"_

_Garrett gave her a glare. "It took twenty minutes," he growled._

"_Twenty-three."_

"_Well, you clearly had a lot to do," he pointed out sarcastically. But before the argument could escalate, a Lilty guard ran up to them, although he was dressed in different armor than the other guards._

"_Excuse me," he said hurriedly. "Have you seen Princess Fiona anywhere?"_

"_Uh…what?" asked Mika. "Can you say that again?"_

_The guard stomped his foot impatiently. "Princess Fiona! Princess of Alfitaria! Have you seen her?"_

"_Uh…no…we haven't…but…uh…who the heck ARE you?" asked Garrett._

"_My name is Knocfelna," said the Lilty. "I am Princess Fiona's protector. I need to find her at once."_

"_Couldn't she just be…in the palace?" asked Garrett._

"_Good idea!" exclaimed the guard before running off. Mika looked after him, smirking._

"_I got his wallet," she said to Garrett._

**00000000000000BACK TO PRESENT TIME00000000000000000**

"So let me get this straight," asked Ray, grinning. "You stole the guys wallet, and he didn't even notice?"

Mika grinned proudly, and nodded, holding it out to him.

"That wasn't the point of the story, but yeah, she got his wallet," mumbled Garrett.

"Well, I haven't seen any princesses lately," explained Ray. "It would've helped that I had known beforehand.

"Oh well…," said Garrett.

"Let's not worry about it," said Ray. He turned to Mika. "So how'd you get the wallet?"

But before Mika could answer, Sam ran up to the trio.

"Hey guys, come on," he said. "The others are back from Tida." He ran back in the direction he came. The others ran after him quickly.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Garrett knew as soon as he saw the three that something was up.

The haunted looks in their eyes, the strained smiles. He even caught hands trembling at times.

Tida must've been awful.

Nieta walked up to him, and handed Garrett back his spear.

He looked at her questioningly. "What happened to yours?" he asked.

"Broken," she responded, simply shrugging her shoulders. Garrett looked at her, then glanced at the new spear on his back.

"Here," he said, handing it to her.

"But- that's yours-"

"I like my old one better," muttered Garrett. "Don't think I'm doing this just to be nice. 'Cause I'm not. Now come on. You look dead on your feet."

Nieta smiled as she hopped into the wagon. He may not have meant to be nice, but it was nice all the same.

**000000000000000000000**

"Was it bad?" asked Sam, looking at Star.

The two sat next to each other, watching the sunset. The Tipa caravan had moved a bit far away from Alfitaria, as to gain distance from all the hustle and bustle of Alfitaria, and it put Nieta at ease to be away from there.

"Well, more sad then bad," the Clavat girl responded. "It makes you wonder…could that ever happen to us?"

"We'll be fine," said Sam. "I mean, we've got smart Lianora, Creston who's got skill in magic, Nieta and Garrett, who are both strong, Mika who's quick and agile, Ray who's…well…quick and agile too. And then there's you-" Sam trailed off.

Star laughed. "And what about me?" she asked.

"Well…uh…you're…a valuable teammate, a strong fighter…and a good friend," continued Sam, smiling at her. Star blushed a little.

"Thanks," she said. "But you're the one who leads us all."

"Well…I just do what I think is right," said Sam, shrugging.

Then Ray's voice echoed across the field. "Yo, Sam, Star, get back here. Dinner's ready!"

Smiling, the two Clavats returned to their friends and settled down to eat.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

TWENTIETH CHAPTER! YES!

Favorite parts: Ray talking with the king, Mika and Ray's conversation about stealing, and Garrett giving Nieta his new spear.

(We all know you like her, Garrett).

Way to ruin the Clavats' moment, Ray. XD

So now we know what TRULY went on with the king and Nieta. He's a nice guy, isn't he? On the downside: the princess is missing. Sucks for you, king.

Poor Creston, Star, and Nieta. They'll be having nightmares about killer houses for a while. But who would be scared of a living house?

Armstrong: Hello…mortal.

*freaks out* Okay, moving on… this chapter's title is from the conversation with Ray and the King (Aw, Ray sticking up for his friends) and Mika stealing the wallet (I laughed when I wrote that).

Next Chapter: Moschet Manor! Jack Moschet is hungry for dinner. And the caravanners can't seem to sneak to the myrrh tree without him noticing. Therefore, they form a risky plan to lure the Gigas Lord out into his courtyard. But when facing killer chefs and a returning foe, will the plan succeed, despite the risk?


	21. The starvation of Jack Moschet

*small fanfare* Do you know what time it is?

Neither do I.

But! Now we shall have another episode, chapter, session, whatever…of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles. *applause*

So yeah, in this chapter, mainly the gang goes to Moschet Manor. They form a plan to try and defeat Jack as soon as possible (they don't have all the time in the world).

Time to announce the return of an enemy. Remember the gremlin that Ray fought in Mushroom Forest? HE RETURNS! I have named him Gremmy, although he has no name in the story.

Other than that, not much, although the gang will be receiving letters from the mail moogle in the beginning of the chapter, and later in the next chapter after Jack gets owned.

One last thing- I gave the Tonberries funny/stupid names XD.

Time to start the show! *pulls a curtain up*

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"There's Moschet Manor," said Lianora, pointing. There was a large building looming up ahead, seeming almost as large as the Mushroom Forest, if not larger. It looked simple enough. It wouldn't take long to gather the myrrh and head home.

As the caravanners trekked toward the building, a voice rang out behind them: "KUPO!"

A mailmoogle ran up to them. "I've got mail, kupo!"

"You're supposed to wait until after we finish getting a drop of myrrh," pointed out Ray.

"Don't tell me how to do my job, kupo," retorted the moogle. "I have a lot of letters for you, so come on, take 'em."

Curious, the caravanners took the letters.

Sam opened his.

_Hey there, Sam,_

_How have you been? Kill a lot of monsters? Is your fever better? Come on, tell me about your adventures some time. Also, try and find a girl out there. I need grandchildren!_

_Love, Mom._

Sam raised an eyebrow. Then he smiled, and wrote out a reply.

Star read her letter.

_Star,_

_Thought you might need some food. I sent you some meat and some of Bessie's milk. Hope you enjoy it._

_Come back safely._

_Love, Dad._

Star quickly wrote a thank-you letter in reply to her father.

Garrett growled at his letter.

_Hey, half-pint,_

_How's the adventure going? Gettin' your ass whooped by monsters? I can't wait to see how many scars you've got. Also, get back here soon- I can't do all the work myself._

_Signed, Markin (Your brother, moron)_

Garrett ripped his letter in half. "I'm going to kill him," he growled.

Nieta read her letter curiously.

_Dear Nieta,_

_I haven't seen you lately, so I've been wanting to ask: will you PLEASE return to Alfitaria? It's for your own good, young lady! Please come back to your home._

_Signed, Denilla._

Nieta wrote her reply on the back of the letter: No.

Lia wondered who had sent a letter to her.

_Lia,_

_How are you doing out there? I hope you've made some friends. I remember you were so shy and quiet as a child, so you didn't make many friends. Of course, that just led you to helping around the house more._

_Bah, listen to me, reminiscing like an old buffoon. Point is, be careful out there._

_Love, Gramps._

Lianora giggled, before scribbling down a hasty reply.

Mika groaned when she saw her letter.

_Hey, beautiful,_

_Remember me? The kid from Marr's Pass? I was hanging with a Selkie, two Clavats, and a Lilty? Yeah, I got a hold of your name. So listen, I was wonderin', have you ditched your boyfriend yet? If you have, then swing by Marr's Pass, and maybe we can…make amends. Eh?_

Mika crumpled up her letter, and threw it aside. "No thanks," she muttered.

Creston was also dealing with romantic interests.

_Dear handsome, gorgeous, Creston,_

_How did the funeral at Shella go? We're so sorry about your girlfriend. But listen, if you ever wanted to try and…find someone else…pick me!_

Creston noticed five other letters addressed to him, each with a little heart on it. He smacked his forehead (or…at least where his forehead WOULD be).

Ray was staring at his letter.

_Hey Ray,_

_Listen, I've got great news! The Leuda caravan came by and bought supplies from me. When I asked them where they were headed, they said they were going to Conall Curach!_

_I realized that this could be a chance to find out what happened to our parents! So I offered to tag along with them, and they said yes! So now I'm on the road, just like you! If I find anything out, I'll send it to you in a letter._

_Be good out there, and take care of the shop when you return with myrrh for Tipa. I've already left Tipa after I sent this, so I'll probably be in Conall Curach by the time you get this. So wish me luck!_

…_okay, never mind the be good part. I know you won't listen. You little shit._

_With Love, Your Big Sister, Dah Zul_

Ray wrote a reply to her wishing her luck, and saying that they would meet up some time out on the road. He smiled. He was really close with his sister. She was the only family he had.

"Well, I'm off, kupo!" said the moogle, running off.

The caravanners moved on to the enormous manor.

**00000000000000000000000**

The manor was rather quiet. But all of a sudden, that changed.

BANG! Jack Moschet ran out of his chambers, roaring furiously.

"I'M STARVING!" he shouted. "WHERE'S MY DINNER!? TONBERRIES! GET OUT HERE!"

His loyal Tonberry Chefs walked out of a room. "Yes, Mr. Gigas Lora? What is it?" asked one Tonberry, named Bonkers.

"Where's my dinner," snarled the enormous Gigas. He was dressed in elegant purple clothes, as well as some fancy furs. His eyes were red, and his teeth sharp, bared in a horrible grimace. His arms and hands were hairy, as well as his entire body. He seemed to have a lot of gems and jewels in his clothing, showing off his wealth. "I'm hungry."

But before the chef could answer, a yawn was heard from another room. Suddenly, a giant Lamia emerged from another room. She two was dressed in fancy clothing.

"Jack, where's dinner?" she asked tiredly. "I just woke from my nap."

"I…er…I forgot," he mumbled. "I'm getting it made right now."

"How DARE you forget MY dinner!" bellowed Maggie at her husband.

((Author's Note: Yes, I took the above part DIRECTLY from the game))

Jack sweated under his hair. "It'll be ready soon, my dear," he assured.

"It better be," said Maggie, moving back to her room.

"Listen you," growled Jack, picking up another Tonberry named Dongle. "I want dinner made, and I want it made FAST, ya hear me?" The poor chef nodded. "Good. Come and get me when I'm ready. I'll be outside by the myrrh tree in the backyard. Got it?" The Tonberry nodded hastily, before Jack dropped him. The Tonberry scuttled away, his comrades following him. Jack, meanwhile, ran back through the doors and out of sight.

**0000000000000000000000000**

Nieta stared widely at the doors the Gigas Lord had left through. "We have to deal with THAT?!"

The others stood around her, hiding behind the two pillars at the entrance of the manor. Star and Sam mirrored her shocked face, while Garrett and Ray grinned at the prospect of adventure. Mika was tense with anticipation, while the Yukes…well, no one could tell what the Yukes were thinking. Stupid masks.

"Well…we can't get to the myrrh tree," whispered Creston. "You heard what that thing said. He's sitting out there…probably guarding it."

"Well, what do we do?" asked Mika. "There's no way we can steal the myrrh while he's around. Even if he leaves it unguarded while he eats his dinner, I still don't want to risk it."

Garrett looked at her questioningly. "Why not just take the myrrh and go?"

Mika rolled her eyes. "We might tick him off. And if he isn't defeated, he might seek revenge."

Images of Jack Moschet tearing up Tipa flashed through Garrett's mind. He nodded, agreeing with Mika.

"Well, we can't wait for him to eat dinner!" whispered Star urgently. "It'll take too long."

"Well then…I have an idea…but it's risky," said Creston, after looking around the manor.

"Which is?" asked Lia.

"You see those switches in front of the doors?" asked Creston. "They have the symbols over the four tribes on them. My guess is that if a tribe member stands on his or her symbol, the door opens. I think this manor belonged to the four tribes long ago, but Jack stole it. So, if we can access every room in the manor, then we can carry out my plan."

"Which is?" asked Sam curiously.

"We kill all of the chefs, causing an impatient Jack Moschet to come looking for them. Once we get him out in the open, we take him out. THEN we head to the myrrh tree. But there's a small problem…"

"Which is?" asked Ray, for the third time.

"We would all have to travel room by room, which would take a while," theorized Creston. "But I think there's a risky way around it."

"What is it?" asked Star.

"We leave the chalice in the exact center of the manor. Then, all of us rush out of the crystal's barrier, and into one of the six rooms. After that, as soon as we take out all the chefs in one room, we return to the chalice before the miasma does any serious damage. The myrrh tree is fairly close, so we shouldn't suffer SEVERE damage."

"Okay…now before we go, listen," said Creston. He pointed to the closest door to the left. "No chefs are in there. Only that lamia wife, Maggie. Hopefully, we won't need to bother with her. Also, the center door furthest away is rather large. I think two people should go in that room together."

"Oh and by the way, let's take out the enemies in the courtyard first," said Ray, pointing. Two leopard creatures were prowling in the grass.

"Couerls," said Lianora. "They're very adept in magic. Be careful."

Garrett hurled his spear. It whistled as it flew through the air. It stabbed a couerl in a side. The cat let out an angry hiss, before falling over, dead.

"Or we could use that method," said Ray, shrugging. The eight caravanners rushed out into the center of the courtyard. Lianora and Sam finished off the second couerl with a thunder spell and a slash respectively. But as they were about to initiate their plan, a loud screech sounded overhead.

"Uh…guys?" asked Nieta, backing up a bit. "Are the gargoyles SUPPOSED to be alive?"

"Not necessarily," responded Creston with scorn. "Of course the Gigas Lord wouldn't have any guards stationed in his home."

"Dude, I thought I was sarcastic," muttered Ray, eyeing the stone demons apprehensively.

With a deafening shriek, the gargoyle lunged for the caravanners. Sam leaped out of the way, and tried to cut it, but his blade seemed to bounce off the stone monster.

Creston shook his head. "You have to get a gargoyle on the ground before you kill it, Sam."

"How do we do that!?" asked Garrett, stabbing furiously at the second gargoyle, who was send fire blasts at him.

"Like this," responded Creston, simply. He charge up some magical energy, and then released it. The gargoyle hit the gravity spell just cast, and fell straight to the ground, pinned there. Nieta, Star, and Ray rushed forward and finished the demon off.

Lianora did the same with the second gargoyle. As it fell, however, it almost crushed Nieta.

"Whoa, watch it!" shouted the Lilty, as they killed the second gargoyle.

"Alright," said Sam. "Mog, drop and guard the chalice right here. Put it down."

Mog did as he was told. Sam looked at the others. "Alright then. Everyone run to a room. Me and Creston are the only ones going into the same room, so if you see someone else going in a room, go to a different one, alright?" Everyone nodded.

"Okay then. GO!" shouted Sam. Everyone ran off in a different direction. Sam and Creston ran to the room directly in front of them. Garrett ran to the room directly to the right, while Mika and Star dashed for the room directly to the left. Nieta ran to the door in the upper right of the courtyard, while Lianora scurried to the door at the upper left. Ray, meanwhile, hurtled toward the door closest to the entrance on the right.

After everyone's symbols had unlocked the doors, each caravanner charged into a room.

**000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Nieta looked around the room she had entered. It seemed to be a small sitting room. A large fireplace was burning, but she ignored it. She was focused on the Tonberry Chef in the corner.

"Stupid Jack," he moaned pitifully. "Always making us work so hard…jerk."

Nieta snuck up behind him, ready to take him out, but bumped into a table. The lizard-like creature turned around.

"Intruder!" he gasped, before he started to move toward her slowly. He attempted to stab her with his knife, but she was too quick for him. She knocked him back with her spear. As he prepared for another attack, she stabbed him. The poor creature fell directly into the fireplace. A wimpy cry came from the burning ashes.

"Phew…," said Nieta. "I'm done."

She waited for her symbol to appear for the door, and when it did, she ran out and returned to the safety of the chalice.

**00000000000000000000**

Dongle, Bonkers, and Boggle, three Tonberries, were preparing food in the kitchen, muttering how they should get paid more.

"Cheap, old Gigas," grumbled Dongle. "It's not fair. We should get paid more!"

Garrett burst into the room, spear in hand. The three chefs turned around.

"Ugh…," groaned Boggle. "More vermin to deal with." He waddled forward, knife raised, while his comrades prepared to cast slow spells on Garrett. Garrett leaped away from the magic rings, ran up to Boggle and stabbed the chef furiously. The chef clutched his stomach and fell over, groaning.

The two remaining Tonberries looked at each other. "RUN!" yelped Dongle.

"But what about Jack?" asked Bonkers.

"Who cares? He doesn't pay us enough anyway!" The two lizard creatures scrambled out of a door.

Garrett wanted to chase them, but the door wasn't on his symbol.

"Crud," he growled. When the door changed back to his symbol, he rushed into the courtyard, only to find that the Tonberries had already fled the manor. He saw Nieta, enjoying some gourd potatoes.

"Did you see those two Tonberries?" demanded Garrett, after he ran up to her.

"What Tonberries?" asked Nieta.

"Crap…," said Garrett, stomping his foot. "Cowards must've left this giant house."

"Oh well," said Nieta. "Less chefs to deal with."

**00000000000000000000000000**

Creston and Sam were busy, with Sam battling a Couerl and Creston battling with a Tonberry Chef respectively.

"You'll never get out alive!" threatened the chef. "Jack Moschet will roast you in the oven and eat you for dinner!"

"We can try," retorted Creston coldly. He swiftly bonked the chef with his hammer, before lighting him on fire. The Tonberry wailed loudly. "But it seems that YOU'RE the one not getting out alive."

Sam, meanwhile, was keeping the Couerl at bay. It hissed at him, lunging at him with his claws. Sam got bad scratch on his arm. "OW!"

Creston whirled around. "Sam, are you okay- GAH!" Two gargoyle statues had come to life, and one had clawed Creston with a talon.

Sam was then hit by a blizzard spell, courtesy of the Couerl. "Stupid cat…," muttered the Clavat, rubbing his arm. As the Couerl lunged again, Sam swung his sword, slicing the cat's body in two. But Sam had no time to celebrate the victory. As the second gargoyle lunged for him, he slashed it with his sword. Although it hadn't defeated the creature, it had definitely unbalanced it. The gargoyle flew straight into the wall and crumpled to the floor. Sam ran over and defeated it while it was disoriented. Creston, meanwhile, had cast gravity on his gargoyle and then whacked it to death with his hammer.

"Okay…we're done," said Creston, sounding tired. He stretched his back. "Let's get back to the chalice."

**000000000000000000000000000000**

In one room, a Tonberry was sulking, while a hyper little gremlin was hopping around.

Ray was hiding under a table, unseen by either of the enemies. He aimed his racket, and fired.

A shot flew towards the chef, nailing him right in the foot. The poor creature fell over, clutching his foot. Ray went over and pummeled him severely with his paddle.

The gremlin in the corner turned to face him. It growled but did not attack.

Ray pointed his racket at the thing. "You're next."

But the gremlin growled louder, glaring at him.

"Huh? Don't you seem familiar?" asked Ray, questioningly.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

**0000000000000000000FLASHBACK0000000000000000**

_Ray, meanwhile, was dealing with another Gremlin that appeared to help its friend. It swung his whip at him, and he caught it in his hand._

_Ray growled. "That's it! I'm done with this thing."_

_He held the creature over his head and started to swing it around by the whip. The creature was swung around faster and faster until Ray let go. It soared through the sky and soon became a little speck in the distant clouds._

**000000000000000000END FLASHBACK0000000000000**

"No way," said Ray. "You survived?"

The gremlin nodded, pointing to its injured whip on its head.

Ray had a grim smile. "Well then, shall we settle this, then?"

The Gremlin leaped forward with a shriek, swinging his whip. Ray was caught off guard and knocked backwards. The Selkie whacked the gremlin and knocked him into a wall, but the creature was stunned for only a moment. He lunged at Ray, leaping on top of him. The two foes rolled around the room, and over the symbol that opened the door. As the Selkie symbol was pressed the door opened, and the two enemies rolled out into the courtyard.

"What the…," said Creston. "Ray? What're you doing?"

"This…gremlin…as a grudge," growled Ray. Finally he got a hold on the creature. He knocked it out with his racket. The gremlin went limp. Then he did what he did before: twirled it by its whip, and threw it into the sky.

"Let's hope you're dead this time," he mumbled under his breath.

"Ray…what the heck was goin' on?" asked Garrett

"That gremlin was from Mushroom Forest," explained Ray, walking into the chalice's barrier. "Y'know that one I launched into the sky. Well, that was him, apparently."

"And he came back for vengeance?" asked Creston. "Wow. Big grudge."

"So who are we waiting on?" asked Ray.

"Star, Mika, and Lia," said Sam, scratching his back.

"Well, they better hurry…"

**00000000000000000000000000**

Mika leaned on her staff. "You were supposed to go to a different room," she said, raising an eyebrow at Star.

The Selkie was leaning on her staff, which was on top of a dead chef's body. Star looked at her guiltily.

"I know, but Sam miscounted," said Star. "I was stuck without a room so I followed you to one."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," said Mika with a sigh. "Even if we were stuck in the same room, the chef's dead, I stole some silverware, and we can get out of this place."

"Alright," said Star. "Let's get back to Sam and the others."

"Or in your case, Sam," said Mika, smirking. Star looked back at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded the kind Clavat.

"Listen Star, it's no secret to everyone except Mr. Leader that you like Sam," said Mika. Star blushed slightly. "A little bit more than friends, right? Well, here's a tip: the guy likes you back, so take it easy and give it a little time, alright?"

"B-but…wait…how do you know?!" asked Star, flustered. Mika rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's completely obvious to everyone who isn't in love," explained Mika, shrugging. "And it's extremely easy to set up couples so long as you're not in the couple. So basically, it's not that I have experience, but it's more of a…well…gift."

"If it's a gift, why haven't you hooked up with Ray?" asked Star, with a very un-Clavat-like smirk.

"Because I'm not interested in Ray," retorted Mika. "Come on, let's go."

As the two made their way back to the chalice ring, Ray walked over to Mika.

"Hey, beautiful, did it go okay?" he asked, winking. Mika rolled her eyes AGAIN.

"Yeah it went fine," she said, giving him a smirk. But Star could see a faint blush.

"Not interested?" muttered Star. "Yeah, right."

"So, now we're waitin' on Lia," said Garrett. "Hope she hurries up."

**0000000000000000000000000**

As the final Tonberry chef died, Lianora sighed with relief. Two dead chefs laid on the floor.

"So, I'm in the library," pondered Lia. "Might as well look around."

As she read the some of the books, she was astonished that a monster would have such a large library. But she came across a few interesting books. After she had finished reading, the Yuke was confused.

"So…after a meteor hit our world…miasma began to come forth…bringing monsters…?" stated Lia uneasily. "What could it mean?"

Suddenly, she felt her head hurt. Realizing that she was still out of the crystal's barrier, she rushed out of the room to join the other seven caravanners.

"Well…now what?" asked Nieta.

"We wait," said Creston, moving towards the entrance of the building. "We'll wait right here so we'll be safe before that monster comes out of his room."

And so they did.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Ugh…the longest chapter yet. It was DEFINITELY not supposed to be this long. Oh well.

Favorite parts: The letters in the beginning, Jack Moschet's rampage, the Tonberries, Ray's gremlin pal, and Mika's love advice to Star.

I personally enjoyed this chapter. I good blend of foreshadowing (it's hard to spot in some places), action (DIE TONBERRY DIE!), and romantic fluff.

Jack Moschet? My image of him is a cranky, cantankerous jerk who lounges around his home like a lazy ass. Maggie? An uptight, demanding housewife. As for the Tonberries, I see them as really miserable individuals working for ol' Jack.

Three characters in this chapter shall return. Dongle and Bonkers shall return later, and Ray's gremlin isn't exactly done yet. MUAHAHAHA!

Romance is coming! Eventually! But if you all hate waiting, then here is a spoiler: Sam and Star officially get together at the end of the third year (after Daemon's Court, if you want to be specific). But for now, enjoy the fluff!

I originally wanted to include the boss fight in this chapter, but the chapter became too long for its own good…

Next Chapter: Jack Moschet can't take it anymore. Going out into his courtyard to contact his cooks, he finds out that they've all been murdered. The Tipa caravan is found, and Jack attacks them in a furious rage, avenging the loss of his cooks and his dinner. The Tipa caravan now has to deal with an angry Gigas Lord! But what will happen when his wife enters the fray?


	22. Winner or Dinner?

Oh boy! Is it time for another chapter for this god-long story?

The answer is yes. Be happy.

So basically, Jack Moschet. Big hairy monster man. Fights the Tipa caravan. Woo. The guy relies on his wife to help him. WIMP! *cough* Sorry. But seriously, the guy's an easy boss. I mean, sure, he can heal himself with his wife on the field, but I've killed him without killing Maggie TWICE. So, sorry Jack, you're mediocre at best. Harder than the Goblin King though!

Goblin King: HEY!

But honestly, bosses like the Iron Giant and the Dragon Zombie…well…they just rule.

Dragon Zombie and Iron Giant: We rule.

So…uh…not much going on here. But I'm looking for constructive criticism/ ideas. SO! I'd be very happy for some! :D

Enough rambling. I should get this started, right?

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"How long have we been waiting?" moaned Garrett, bored out of his mind.

"Does it look like I have a clock?" retorted Nieta.

"I don't know, LADY Nieta," hissed Garrett. "I'm not looking at you, am I? Don't flatter yourself."

"Guys, come on, don't start fighting," said Star, sighing. "We're all a bit impatient, but it won't do you any good, seeing that we still have to fight that giant Gigas."

"And his wife," pointed out Creston.

"Well, I'm officially bored," said Ray. He gave Mika an apathetic glance. "Want to do something entertaining?"

Mika stuck out her tongue. "Maybe, but I think I can do better than you."

Lia regarded Ray with disdain. "Do you honestly care about anything, or did you just join this caravan to try and get into Mika's pants?"

Ray flinched as though Lia had struck him. Did she honestly think he would stoop that low? That retort had stung more than when Mika kicked him in the crotch. But he wouldn't let his pain show.

"I don't know Lia, why don't you just go to bed so you can hold Creston's arm all night long?" he said, glaring.

"Everyone, calm down," said Sam. "We're all just tense and impatient to get back home. But honestly, WHEN is that monster going to come out?"

Suddenly, they heard a sound. It sounded sort of like a gong.

"It must be like a dinner gong," commented Creston. "Perhaps that will hasten the beast's arrival."

And so they waited.

Jack didn't keep them waiting long.

The Gigas Lord burst through the center door, roaring loudly.

"DAMNIT! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN!?" he roared. "Where are those blasted Tonberries?!"

Jack then proceeded to punch every door in the manor open, searching for his missing cooks.

"Where the heck are they!?" he growled. Then as he turned around, he saw an interesting sight. Three ghostly Tonberries were standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"What? Are those the Tonberry ghosts?" asked Creston to himself.

The overgrown Gigas gave the ghosts a curious, but angry look. "Are you dead? Damnit, no wonder it's been taking so long. Where's the scum that killed you."

"Oh crap…," said Mika, swearing. "They're gonna give us away."

"Tattletales," grumbled Ray.

The Tonberries nodded their heads to the caravanners. Jack Moschet turned to face them.

"What the…you little…YOU KILLED MY COOKS!" snarled the great monster. "I'm going to have to go hungry! You little, dirty rats! Invading my home, ruining my evening. You're going to pay for this."

An aura glowed around him for a minute, before he let out a deafening roar. The battle had begun.

Jack ran toward the caravanners, and vice versa. As Jack swung a mean right hook, half of the caravanners were knocked back. Garrett, who had managed to avoid the blow, stabbed Jack in the arm.

Jack howled and let out a loud cry. "MAGGIE! HELP ME OUT HERE!"

A door opened, and from it, Jack Moschet's giant lamia wife emerged.

"Hmmph…you oaf," said the snake-woman. "Unable to deal with such pests. Why did I even marry you…?"

"How about you get your snake butt over here and be useful?" growled Jack.

"Ah, old love," muttered Creston, rolling his eyes behind his mask. Maggie aimed a slow spell at them all. Then the snake-woman began to charge up a powerful stop spell.

Star cried out. "Ray, stop her!"

But the Selkie didn't move.

"Creston! Garrett! Someone!" yelled Nieta. All the girls were busy being pummeled by Jack Moschet. "Get the lamia!"

"Uh…we can't," said Sam awkwardly.

"WHY CAN'T YOU!?" yelled Mika.

Ray sighed. "Dude…we can't hit a girl."

An awkward silence followed. Even the Gigas Lord and the Lamia Queen seemed dumbfounded.

"Are…you…kidding me!?" yelled Mika. "You won't attack her because of a stupid thing like that?!"

"It isn't stupid…," mumbled Garrett, shuffling his feet. "It's just…y'know…a guy rule."

Lia sighed. "I think we can put aside these "guy rules" at the moment."

"Jack! Get them!" shrieked Maggie.

But the giant king was feeling awkward too.

"But…I can't hit a girl either," he pointed out, shrugging.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" yelled Maggie. "It doesn't apply for monsters."

"Oh…," said Jack. "In that case…"

He hit Lianora with a vicious punch, sending her flying into a pillar. Meanwhile, Maggie swiped her fans at the boys, all of which made no moves to defend themselves.

"Okay, seriously," groaned Nieta. "Let's just switch places with them."

As the Gigas Lord leaped into the air and landed on the ground, causing the ground to rumble, the female caravanners ran towards the males, and pushed them towards Jack.

"You deal with him," growled Mika. "We'll take this one out."

"Heh…fools," said Jack Moschet. Suddenly, a pink aura glowed around him. Suddenly, all the bruises and marks \ on Jack vanished.

"What…he healed himself!" exclaimed Creston. Jack laughed unpleasantly.

"So long as Maggie is around, I'm invincible. I can use her magical aura to heal myself, meaning no matter what you do, you can't beat me!" explained the monster wickedly.

"Crap," said Mika, cursing under her breath. "We'll just have to take out Maggie first."

She ran forward, leaping at the lamia with her paddle, but Maggie blocked the blow with her arm, and pushed Mika away. At the same time, Maggie shrieked as a thunder spell struck her down. Lianora had appeared behind her and was charging a second spell. Maggie slithered away and sent an enormous slow spell at Lia. Both Lia and Star, who was nearby, were hit, and they became very slow.

Nieta charged at Maggie in a fury, spear pointed at the woman. Meanwhile, Jack had just taken a deep breath, and then a large amount of icy fog drifted over the caravanners. Sam was frozen, but Ray quickly cast a clear spell and freed his friend.

"Ice…," muttered Creston. "So he'll be weak to fire." Without a second thought, Creston shot a Fira blast at the Gigas. But to the Yuke's astonishment, the blow hardly seemed to damage the monster.

Jack Moschet threw his head back and boomed with laughter. "I've been living in this warm mansion so long that the heat doesn't bother me anymore."

((Author's Note: This is true. In the game, even though he breathes ice and the Gigas are ice enemies, Amidatty the Yuke tells you that the Gigas Lord resists fire, but is weak to ice after living in his cozy, warm manor.))

Meanwhile, Maggie was having trouble. She had wondered why Jack hadn't helped her. Then she realized that the female caravanners weren't just fighting her. They had separated her from her husband. They were at complete opposite ends of the manor! Meanwhile, the men had Jack distracted so he wouldn't notice her.

After hastily casting a stop spell on Star, Maggie tried to move closer to Jack, but found Lianora in her way. As Maggie drew her feathered arm back to strike her, she felt a sharp pain in her back. Nieta had stabbed the lamia in the back. Maggie was about to retaliate, when she felt a large thump on her head. Dazed and confused, Maggie drifted off into a corner.

"Jack!" she called weakly. The Gigas Lord finally heard his wife, and looked over, surprise etched on his gruesome face.

"Maggie!" he yelled.

"Jack…I…I can't take it anymore," moaned Maggie, before falling over, shaking her head in pain.

"MAGGIE!" roared Jack Moschet, enraged. He glared at all the caravanners. "You dirty scoundrels…what did she ever do to you? What did any of us do to you?! Did we really deserve this!?"

"We need myrrh for our village," explained Sam, trying to ignore the guilt he was feeling. "Would you let us take it if we asked you?"

"Of course not!" answered the creature, with an obnoxious snort. "Are you kidding? I mean, it's not like I couldn't get new chefs or anything. I mean, seriously? I just hate you all and your stupid villages. Clinging to life and crystals like barnacles, it's pathetic!"

"So you admit it," Ray shot back. "So what other action could we take big guy?"

"Well, you could've stolen it," said Jack Moschet, shrugging. "I mean, I'd be pissed, but it's not like I'd go to your village and destroy it. I'm reasonable."

Everyone glared at Mika.

"But, that's not the point," said Jack. "I mean…if I caught you stealing it…I'd just kill you for fun…maybe hang you on the wall as trophies."

Star almost gagged at the thought of being displayed dead on the wall. "Are you serious?" she asked. "That's sick! How twisted can you possibly be?"

"Very," responded the Gigas with a sickening, awful smile. "Or maybe I'll send your bodies back to the village of Tipa, crushing their dreams."

"That's it!" shouted Garrett. Running forward, he leaped in the air towards Jack, but Jack knocked him back with a powerful punch.

"It's the end for you," said Jack, with a taunting leer. "Why not just give up?"

But during this entire conversation, Lianora wasn't listening. She was remembering what Creston had done before. The monster hadn't been affected by a fire spell due to getting used to the heat. So maybe…

"So…let's start with you, warrior boy," growled Jack, stepping towards Garrett threateningly. "You might be hard to digest-"

"BLIZZAGA!" yelled Lianora, a brilliant blue flash materializing after her words.

An ice blast exploded in front of Jack Moschet's face. A harsh, piercing scream came from behind the icy explosion.

Jack ran out of the ice, clutching his face. He glared at Lianora with his red eyes, glowing with fury.

"YOU DIRTY LITTLE BITCH!" he roared. "How did you know!? How did you know that cold was my weakness!?"

"I figured it out," said Lia coolly. "You were resistant to heat, so I thought you'd be weak to the cold. And it turns out I was right."

"Way to go Lia!" shouted Star.

"Wretched pests," growled the beast. "You forget I can heal myself." But as he attempted to do so, he realized that he couldn't. Jack looked around wildly.

"What's going on? Why can't I recover?" he demanded.

"Your wife isn't in the battle anymore," said Star with a defiant glare. "You said you used her aura of magic to heal yourself. Well, now what?"

Jack Moschet looked around wildly, his red eyes shining with confusion…and fear. He needed to find a way out of this. _**Now**__._

Sam rushed forward, but Jack leaped into the air. As he landed on the ground, however, Star, Garrett, and Mika all took the opportunity to attack him before he could stand up again. Jack went into a frenzy. He began to swing wild punches everywhere, determined to knock all of the caravanners over.

Creston stared at him. "He's lost it. We've pretty much won."

"Yeah but we're done yet," argued Sam, as he avoided a flying Nieta, who was unlucky to be hit by one of the many punches. Ray, meanwhile, shot a projectile at Jack's head. It met its target, disorienting the monster.

Jack moved in a daze, stilling swinging his fists, but now his hooks were slower and more tiring. Finally, Lianora, who had charged up another Blizzaga spell, launched her magical attack. Jack was knocked backwards off his feet.

Jack shook himself, and rubbed his head. He looked around. He knew he had lost, but he wasn't about to let himself be killed. He roared and slammed his fists on the ground.

"I lost!?" he exclaimed, angry and frightened. "Impossible! No way!"

He looked at the faces of the caravanners who had bested him. His eyes narrowed.

"There'll be a reckoning for this," he threatened, blood trickling out of his mouth. Spit flew out of his mouth as he spoke. "But right now, I've gotta get out of here. You won't kill me! NEVER!"

And with that, the Gigas Lord charged towards the entrance of the manor. Sam, Ray, and Star hastily moved out of his way.

As he left the building, Maggie had recovered from her injuries somewhat. She watched him leave, dumbfounded.

"YOU COWARD!" she suddenly shrieked. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU RAN AWAY! UGH…MEN!"

But she too knew the battle was over, and with one last look at the caravanners, she left Moschet Manor as well.

**000000000000000000000000**

"WE'RE DONE WITH OUR SECOND YEAR!" shouted Garrett as the myrrh dropped into the chalice. Excitement and joy broke out among the caravanners. Nieta cheered loudly and hopped up and down, while Mika let out a loud "WOO HOO"! Lianora and Creston exchanged high fives with Mog flying around their heads, while Ray kicked open what LOOKED like spring water (though it smelled strongly of alcohol), and finally, Sam and Star exchanged a hug, only to draw back quickly, embarrassed.

The mailmoogle came running up, and noticed the partying caravanners.

"I'm…just gonna pretend I didn't see this…kupo," said the mailmoogle, backing away slowly.

And he left the caravan to party.

**000000000000000000000000000000**

Done with year two! WOO!

Favorite Parts: Everyone being pissed at each other in the beginning, and when the boys refused to hit Maggie (I couldn't resist not putting that in).

All in all, I don't really think I did well on this chapter, but it was hard to write because the battle in Moschet Manor isn't really that exciting.

Silly Jack. Chased out of the house by your own wife.

So…yeah…I REALLY need some ideas down. I mean, I'm probably good for a little while, but I'm gonna need ideas for Star and Mika's character chapters. I'm not so much worried about Mika's as I am about Star's (Mika's won't be until the fifth year, while Star's is in the third year). So yeah, ideas/reviews/suggestions/criticisms are wanted/helpful. Thanks!

Next Chapter: A second festival is head for our heroes returning to home. But for one caravanner, tragedy strikes. But just what happened to this member of the Tipa caravan?

Star: My turn to ask for a review! Yay! So, please, wonderful readers, pleas review!

Garrett: Suck up.


	23. Pain

Oh goody! Another chapter! Hurrah!

So in this chapter, it basically has our lovely heroes returning home for a party. Again.

There shall be dancing, drinking, and fire. Again.

And moogles. Again.

BUT! TRAGEDY STRIKES! DUN DUN DUN!

So…that's basically it...

Let's get this show on the road!

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

As the Tipa caravan pulled into their village in the evening, they were met by loud cheers.

The crystal had absorbed the myrrh and everything was going well. And so, the people danced merrily around the glowing crystal in delight.

Ray and Garrett were having a chug-off, with Ray in the league.

"Ten gil on Garrett," said Mika, to Nieta.

"You're on!" challenged Nieta. Surprisingly, Garrett won with an upset. Nieta handed Mika her gil. Ray, meanwhile, congratulated his friend by pouring water on him.

"Nice doin' business with ya, Nieta," said Mika, grinning. Nieta rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

Creston sat near the fire, watching his fellow villagers dance around the crystal. He occasionally lifted his visor to chew on the star carrot in his hand.

But despite the cheerful occasion, Creston's thoughts were dark and anticipating. He couldn't get his mind off of that letter that had been sent by his father. It was very foreboding. Maybe the caravan wouldn't go to Shella. Maybe Creston could trick them into leaving Veo Lu without having to go to the Yukeish village. Creston thought this over.

Highly unlikely. But before he could think any more, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped.

"Sorry," said Lianora, backing away. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Creston yawned. "It's fine. Don't worry about it," he assured her. He sat back down and she took a seat next to him.

"Are you alright?" Lia asked, concerned. "You've been…tense ever since you came back from Tida."

"Well, Tida is rather…grim," said Creston. "I'm just thinking that if we fail, our village could become like Tida."

Lia looked him over again. "But that won't happen," she persisted. "Besides, Nieta and Star have already recovered. Did anything happen while you were there?"

"No, nothing at all," lied Creston easily, thinking about the letter. "I suppose I should stop worrying so much. It's a very unhealthy habit that I've had ever since I was a kid. Want to go get some food?"

Lia stared at him. '_There's still something wrong…,_' she thought. '_But I'll figure it out later_.' "Alright."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Ray sat next to Mika and Garrett, yawning. He was a little tipsy, and Mika was as well. Garrett was out cold, sneaking drink after drink away from the table without any adults noticing. He snored loudly on the ground.

"So after this…," said Ray, grinning at Mika. "What do we do…eh?"

Mika giggled. "Oh…I dunno..," she responded. "I'm kinda…tired…I'll probably get some rest…how 'bout you."

"Well…I'll probably drag Garrett to his house…maybe tie him to a tree or something, and then I'll probably catch some Z's as well."

Mika snorted. "He'll kill you if you try anything while he's asleep, y'know that? He's a feisty fella, Garrett. Don't bite off more than ya can chew."

"Psssssh," said Ray. "I can handle the rock-head. He wouldn't even know that I did it, his spear's got more brains than him."

The two burst into laughter.

"I'll be right back, I'm hungry," said Mika, walking away towards the food table. Ray watched her go. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He noticed a mailmoogle at his side.

"Kupo! I've got a letter!" said the moogle, dropping a letter in front of him. Ray picked it up. It was strange he was receiving a letter so soon, right after he had got one from his sister.

Without waiting any longer, he opened the letter and began to read it.

**000000000000000000000000000000**

Mika returned with a loaf of bannock and two striped apples in her hand.

"Ray!" she called. "I'm back!"

Then she noticed, Ray was gone!

"What the…where'd he go?" she asked herself. She noticed Garrett still sleeping like a log. She tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. So she tried a different method.

WHAM!

"ARGH!" yelled Garrett, gripping his crotch in pain. He gave Mika a death glare. "What did ya do that for!?"

"Have you seen Ray?" asked Mika loudly, over the noise of the festival.

Garrett winced. "Not so loud…," he complained. "My head is killing me. I guess I had one drink too many, huh?"

'_One?' _thought Mika. _'More like twelve.'_

"Well have you seen bandanna boy?" asked Mika.

"I've been asleep, woman!" snarled Garrett. "How could I see anything!?"

Mika sighed. "Oh boy," she said, preparing for Garrett's incoming rant.

**0000000000000000000000000000**

As another song ended, Sam and Star retreated from the glowing crystal to let the remaining dancers have more room. They walked up to Creston, Lianora, and Nieta, all sitting and eating together.

"Hey," said Star breathlessly. All the dancing had worn her out.

"Good evening," replied Creston. "Enjoying the party?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "But I'm a bit tired…parties wear me out."

"Well, you're not as bad as Garrett over there," said Nieta, pointing to the right. Sam looked over to find Garrett snoring loudly. He grumbled his sleep, and it seemed like he was cursing at someone.

"Angry even when he's asleep," observed Creston, sounding amused. "But this is Garrett we're talking about."

"Hey, don't pick on him Creston, he's just…well…never mind, you can pick on him," said Nieta after thinking for a moment.

"Anyone seen Ray or Mika?" asked Star, concerned.

"I saw Mika arguing with Garrett a while ago," said Nieta. "As for Ray, I haven't seen him since the beginning of the party."

"That makes worried and relieved," commented Creston thoughtfully.

"How so?" asked Lia.

"I'm worried that Ray is up to something, but I'm happy I don't have to deal with it," answered Creston. Star was about to tell Creston that he shouldn't be relieved for such a reason, but was interrupted by Sam.

"Well…," the Clavat mused thoughtfully. "I don't think Ray is going to be causing trouble tonight. Not during the festival anyway. Ray can be well…unreasonable, but he isn't a jerk."

"All the same, I wonder where he is…," wondered Lia aloud.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Ray sat on the cliff at the edge of the town, staring out at the ocean. The letter he had received was clutched in his hand. His eyes were blank and emotionless. He sat watching the waves roll in the distance, the moon shining down on the water, making it shine. He let out a sigh.

He heard a noise behind him. He glanced back, to see Mika making her way towards him. She was smiling at him.

"There you are," she said. "I've been wondering where you are. I got you a striped apple."

"I'm not hungry," Ray responded. Instantly Mika knew something was wrong, the smile fading from her face. Ray's voice was blank and quiet, not like his usual self. Even when something bad happened, he usually had a sarcastic and aggravated tone. Mika knew that whatever happened, it was serious.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting beside him. He handed her the letter. She began to read it.

_Dear Ray Zul,_

_As you know, your sister, Dah Zul, came with us, the Leuda Caravan, to Conall Curach._

_She wished to explore a little bit, but stayed with us most of the time. However, during one of the many battles, we were separated from each other. Even though we searched, we couldn't find her, and she didn't have a chalice or crystal, meaning there is no way she could've survived._

_It is our deepest regret to inform you that your sister, Dah Zul, is dead._

_We are truly sorry for your loss._

_Signed, the Leuda Caravan._

Mika read the letter once, then twice. She thought at first it was a sick joke. But she knew that even though Selkies were mischievous, no Selkie would ever play a prank as cruel as this.

"Oh Ray, I'm so sorry…," gasped Mika, covering her mouth in horror. Ray shrugged.

"It's alright," said Ray, staring at the ocean. "She was a good sister. I loved her, and I always had her lookin' out for me." He sounded casual, but Mika knew he was hiding his sorrow.

"She wouldn't want me to be all depressed," continued the male Selkie. "She'd want me to move on and live out my life the way I want it. I know that's what she would want."

Mika put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she said gently.

"I know…," said Ray, heaving a sigh. "It's just…so hard to believe." His voice began to get shaky. "I mean…she was all I had…and…and now she's gone…"

And then the tears began to fall. Ray put his arm over his face in a desperate attempt to wipe his tears away. He hated crying. But now, the message had sunk in.

His sister was _dead_.

He couldn't take it. He started to sob. "Damnit!" he managed to say. "I should've stopped her! She was the only one I had left…and now she's GONE!"

Mika pulled him into a warm hug. "It's going to be alright, Ray," she said. "Just let it all out."

Ray started to calm down a little, but Mika could still hear him sniffling a bit. It was unlike her to be this sensitive, but Ray was one of her closest friends in the caravan, and right now he needed a shoulder to cry on. Mika sighed, and stroked his hair, feeling like she was soothing a child.

"It'll be okay, Ray," she said quietly. "You're going to be fine."

Eventually, after most people went to bed, Mika walked Ray home. He wasn't crying anymore, but he was extremely tired and withdrawn. She slept on the couch downstairs in his house, just in case he needed something.

All in all, it wasn't one of Mika's better parties, but she had done the right thing, and she that that was what counted.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Oh boy…we have another chapter done.

Favorite Parts: Garrett's drunken tantrum and Mika comforting Ray.

This was a very sad chapter. Why did I make such a painful chapter? It seemed that everything was going well for the caravanners, but this chapter sort of reminds them that good things don't always last. Why did I pick Ray? Ray and Creston are the only caravanners with only one family member left to lose. Seeing that Creston's father plays a big role in the story, I picked Ray. Not that I don't like Ray. He's one of my favorites. Also, Ray's sister's death plays a role in Ray's character chapter.

You can spot some subtle hints at crushes and such (and a more major hint at Mika helping Ray).

Don't worry though! Ray will not be Mr. Depressed Emo Man. He'll be back to normal after he gets over the shock. So don't freak out. Tipa's resident smart ass is here to stay.

Next Chapter: The gang decides to head up to Veo Lu, while Ray recovers. On the way, the caravanners meet several different people and have arguments. Will the friendships that were made last?


	24. The Road to Recovery

Ahoy there! Yar!

Okay, sorry about the pirate accent. I just thought I kept starting the chapter in the same way. Sort of bugs me…

I am so sorry for not updating any sooner. I've been really busy. And this chapter isn't that long. I ASSURE YOU I WILL WORK HARDER!

Anyway, in this chapter, the Tipa caravan leaves the village again and moves up towards Veo Lu, while meeting some interesting people on the way. Other than that, not much. So, this is kind of a filler chapter, in a way.

Well, let the story begin.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

The caravan rolled along across the path, grass blowing in the wind. They had just left Tipa an hour ago to set off on their third journey for myrrh.

Star and Mika were walking next to each other. Star glanced at Mika.

"How's he doing?" she asked, concerned. Mika looked over at her. She didn't need to ask who "he" was.

"Better," said Mika. She glanced over at the caravan as she spoke. "But he's still sad about it. He's not going to get over it for a long time."

Inside the caravan was Ray, eating a striped apple. The entire caravan now knew what had happened, and were watching over the Selkie. Although he seemed normal, there was a sad undertone to his voice, and a hollow look in his eyes.

"He needs time to heal," came a voice behind them. The girls looked back and saw Creston behind them. "It's not the death of his sister that's troubling him, but the fact that he could've stopped her from going. Give him time. It'll pass."

"You sound as if you know from experience," commented Mika.

"I do," replied Creston simply.

Lianora, who was steering the carriage, noticed something ahead.

"Guys!" she called. "I see something up near River Belle Path!"

Sam looked over at her. "What does it look like?"

Lianora sounded perplexed. "I think it's a caravan…but it sounds like there are people shouting nearby…"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Let's check it out," he decided.

**0000000000000000000000000**

"So what happened to the package!?" asked a female Clavat angrily.

"You really don't want to know," assured Gurdy nervously.

"Yes I do! Now tell us!"

Gurdy mumbled some words.

"What!?"

"It…rotted," said Gurdy, apologetically.

And the argument escalated from there.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

As Sam and the others reached the two arguing Clavats, Gurdy noticed them and walked over.

"Greetings, friends!" he greeted in a friendly tone. "Could you spare a 1000 gil?"

Mika and Creston glanced at each other. Did he expect them to have that kind of money?

"Uh…we don't have that much," said Star awkwardly. "Sorry."

Gurdy sighed. "Oh well…"

After more arguing, the Fum caravan left. Gurdy stood on a tree stump.

"Well…anyways," he said. "As a celebration for our reuniting, how about another poem?"

He then spoke:

_Of crumbled inn, few reminisce,_

_Its faulty beams shall not be missed. _

"Oh the packages smelled awful!" he exclaimed. "I threw out so many of them!"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"That was interesting," remarked Creston ten minutes later, after Gurdy had walked off with the caravan from Alfitaria.

"More like stupid," muttered Garrett.

"I agree, that was a total waste of time," said Mika.

"If I wanted to deal with a bunch of arguments, I'd go back home and live with my family," grumbled Garrett.

"Garrett!" hissed Lia.

"What?" asked the male Lilty, perplexed. Lia jerked her head in the direction of Ray, who was organizing his stuff.

"Oh…," said Garrett, feeling guilty.

"Don't mention stuff like that in front of him," said Lia.

"I can hear you both you know," said Ray from the caravan. Lia and Garrett both winced. "It's fine. I'm alright."

'_That's the biggest lie I've heard all day, including that stuff Gurdy was saying about rotting food," _thought Creston, but he held his tongue.

"Miasma stream ahead," said Mika, interrupting Creston's thoughts. She pointed up the road. The miasma stream was there, looking as ominous as usual.

Creston squinted his eyes behind his helmet. "I can't see any colored smoke," he said. "I can see a lot of sand, though."

Lianora looked at him. "So I'm guessing it's an earth miasma stream."

"So next year, it'll be wind," said Star. Creston nodded. He would remember that.

Garrett rolled his eyes. "Oh joy. We get to stop at Goblin Wall AGAIN! To change our chalice. AGAIN!

"Garrett, stop complaining, it might actually make you a more positive person," said Creston. Garrett snarled a reply that made Star and Lianora gasp, while Mika had a rather astonished grin. Creston growled, and threw a gourd potato at the Lilty. It splattered all over his face. Garrett then threatened Creston, while using words not fit for children's ears.

Sam coughed awkwardly. "Garrett…don't use such vulgar language. And Creston-"

But he was interrupted by a sound. A sound that Sam, or any other caravanner, had heard for a long time.

Ray was laughing.

The Selkie had caught sight of Garrett's potato-covered face and burst out laughing. He rolled on in his back, clutching his stomach at the sight. Sam stopped his speech and then took a good look at Garrett. The male Clavat couldn't help himself. He began to laugh too. All the girls followed suit, while Creston let out a chuckle, and even Garrett laughed after he had a good look at himself in a mirror.

They moved on towards Goblin Wall, laughing all the way.

**0000000000000000000000000000**

"Well this isn't that bad," observed Creston as they walked through the miasma stream. "Just a bunch of sandstorms and rocks flying about."

"Yeah, but you wear a stupid helmet and don't even feel it when a rock hits you in the head," growled Mika. "Not to mention, sand in your eyes."

Star was walking forward with her eyes closed. "I agree. The sand is a bit bothersome."

Ray shrugged. "Better than fire I suppose. I didn't fancy having my clothing charred."

Hearing the small joke from Ray made the caravanners think he was recovering. That was good. It was good to have the old Ray back.

They were all briefly distracted as Mog was caught in a sandstorm, and Nieta and Creston had to fetch him out.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Later that night, Ray had taken the first watch while the rest of the caravanners slept. He sat silently, before glancing around. He reached into his bag to pull something out…

"Ray," came a sharp voice behind him. Ray cursed under his breath. He turned around and found himself staring at Mika. Her arms were folded and she was eyeing him with suspicion. He tried to look innocent.

"What? Why are you up? I've got the first watch," said Ray, curiously. Mika rolled her eyes.

"Don't beat around the bush, Ray. You know why I'm awake."

"I have no idea what you mean," said Ray, bewilderment creeping into his tone. Mika sighed.

"All right Ray- hand it over."

"Hand what over?"

"The bottle of whiskey in your bag."

Ray swore. "Damnit…how'd you know?"

"Never mind how I know," said Mika briskly. She held out a hand. "Hand it over."

Grumbling, Ray took out a bottle from his bag and gave it to her.

"So this is how you get by?" she asked, glaring at him. "Pretending that you've recovered and secretly drowning your sorrows with alcohol?"

"If your sibling died, you'd be drinking too," retorted Ray.

"Maybe," admitted Mika. "But my friends would stop me. So I'm stopping you. Now get to bed. I have the next watch anyway."

With an aggravated sigh, Ray walked over to his sleeping bag, but not before he looked back at Mika.

"What?" she asked.

"Thanks," he replied simply. Then he walked off and went to bed.

Mika sighed as she gazed at the moon in the sky. It was difficult dealing with him, but at least he was recovering. She looked at the confiscated alcohol. Then she popped open the bottle and drank it.

"Not bad," she said, licking her lips.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Ta-da.

Favorite parts: Gurdy, Garrett's potato face, and Ray's whiskey problem.

I'm not happy with this chapter at all. I think it's too short and not enough in it, but I'm busy. BUT THE NEXT ONE SHALL BE BETTER! AND LONGER!

Note: Ray will be feeling better by Veo Lu Sluice. This chapter sorta focused on him, but I'm going to make sure not to do that. I don't want Ray to become a Mary Sue or somethin'.

Next Chapter: As the Tipa Caravan moves toward the Vale of Alfitaria, shocking news is found out. Rumors are spreading throughout the roads of the world.

Mika: And now I get to request a review. Finally! So yeah, review, ideas, suggestions, blah blah blah.


	25. Rumors, Robbers, and Romance!

Hello there! Welcome back to the story. Currently, we are sheltering Jack Moschet as he hides from his snake of a wife.

Jack: Help me. ;_;

Well, other than that, not much is goin' on. So let's get on with it.

In this chapter, as I promised a large update, the gang is going to travel all the way into Veo Lu. Hurrah!

So, other than that, not much, but a lot of things are-

Maggie: JACK! WHERE ARE YOU!?

Well, it's been great, but I've really gotta run! *flees with Jack*

**000000000000000000000000000000**

"GOD DAMNIT, SON OF A GOBLIN!" shouted Garrett painfully.

Lianora sighed sympathetically. "Did you twist your ankle AGAIN?"

Garrett nodded, his eyes burning with rage and embarrassment. While he had been training with his spear, the Lilty had twisted his ankle. A day later, he kept twisting it, as he refused to sit in the caravan and rest.

"That's what happens when you don't know when to quit," Creston explained logically. Garrett shot him a glare.

"Oh shut up, metal head," snarled the Lilty.

"Oh will ya both stop?" said Ray up ahead of them. The Selkie was walking far in front of the caravan. It was hard to see what he was doing up there.

Lia suddenly snapped her gaze towards him, and eyed him like a hawk. "Ray," she said sharply.

"What?" he asked, running a hand absently through his hair.

"Give me the alcohol."

"What alcohol?"

"The one hidden in your shirt that you're drinking through a straw."

Swearing and cursing fluently under his breath, Ray walked back to Lia and handed her the bottle. Sam looked at him and sighed.

"Ray, just give us all the liquor you have," said Sam wearily, rubbing his forehead. With an aggravated sigh, Ray opened his bag, and pulled out the contents. It turned out that the Selkie had stocked up after the gang had stayed for a night in Marr's Pass.

"How'd you manage to get that?" asked Star incredulously. "You're not old enough to buy alcohol. You're only what…19…20?"

Mika let out a laugh. "What makes you think he bought it?"

Creston let out a contemptuous snort. "Not unlike a Selkie."

Both Selkies glared at him. Creston gave them a skeptical look.

"Don't deny it," he said sternly.

As Nieta listened to beginnings of a chaotic day, she looked out on the horizon. It truly was a great experience when you thought about it, travelling the world with your companions (no matter how much they argued with each other). They got to explore the world, when every other person had to stay in the crystal's protection.

It was something that few people experienced in a lifetime.

As she looked ahead, towards the miasma stream that led to the Vale of Alfitaria, Nieta caught something in her sight. From a distance, it looked like a caravan. She strained her eyes and squinted as they moved closer. She saw three bodies on the ground.

"Guys! Look over there!" the Lilty shouted. Instantly, Star and Sam were by her side.

"Looks like trouble, let's go," said Sam. Everyone else nodded simultaneously.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

As the caravan screeched to a halt next to the bodies, the caravanners recognized them as the Marr's Pass caravan.

Star gasped. "What happened?"

"Oh…hey…," said one of the Lilties in a tired voice. He was lying on his stomach.

"What happened?" demanded Nieta, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"We sorta ran into the Black Knight," explained a female Lilty.

"Who's that Black Knight?" asked Creston, curiously.

"You don't know?" asked Garrett.

Everyone was amazed. For once, Garrett knew something Creston didn't.

"The Black Knight is one of the greatest warriors that is still alive to this day," explained Garrett. "He's a Lilty who dresses in black armor. That's how he got his name."

"Well, I wanted to see how good he was," explained the Lilty lying on his stomach. "So I challenged him."

"He was…completely berserk…," said the third Lilty. "He just ran at us shouting something."

"And he did this to you?" asked Lia. "My goodness…that boy has his work cut out for him…I wonder if he'll be able to go through with his plan."

"What boy?" asked Star.

"Well you see, while the three of you were at Tida…"

**0000000000FLASHBACK0000000000000**

_Lianora was walking through Alfitaria, when she almost walked into a boy with a spear._

"_Watch out!" shouted the child._

"_I'm sorry," apologized Lianora, always eager to appease someone._

"_It's okay," said the boy. "Just be careful. Don't get in the way of my training."_

_Lia was interested. "What are you training for?" she asked._

"_The Black Knight killed my father," said the boy, hatred in his voice. "And I'm going to get revenge. I, Leon Esla, will avenge my father!"_

**00000000000000FLASHBACK END000000000000000000**

"That's no plan; that's suicide," said Creston, rolling his eyes.

"Way to crush a kid's dream," said Garrett, giving Creston a glare.

"Oh yes- a child wanting to murder a vicious swordsman and become a great warrior. Must remind you of yourself," theorized Creston scathingly.

Garrett roared in rage, and was quickly restrained by Sam and Ray.

"Well…here," said Star, digging in her bag. "We'll help you out and treat your injuries, okay? It must hurt…"

"Thanks," muttered one of the Lilties.

As Star treated the wounded Lilties, Sam drew the group close together.

"What do you think?" asked the Clavat.

"I think the roads seem a lot more dangerous now," said Ray grimly. Creston nodded in agreement.

"We'll be fine," said Lia, although she sounded as though she was convincing herself as much as the others. "We'll just have to be a bit more wary."

Everyone else murmured their agreement, although they weren't entirely convinced that they would be alright.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

After a brief trip to the Mine of Cathuriges and changing the chalice's element to fire, the group arrived at the miasma stream.

As they walked through, fire rained from above from time to time. The caravanners were careful not to get singed.

Star was walking next to Sam, while Mika, Nieta, and Lia walked together, with all of them keeping an eye on Ray, who was a bit further back in the stream. Garrett and Creston walked on complete opposite sides of the trail.

Star looked around uneasily. "I still haven't got used to these things"

Sam smiled at her reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry, we've gotten through here before, and we will again." He offered her a hand. "You can hold my hand if it makes you feel better."

Star blushed and took his hand, which did not go unnoticed by the group of girls nearby. Mika snickered, while Lia and Nieta went "Aw!"

"Look at those two," said Mika, the smirk still on her face. "They're just a cute couple waiting to happen."

"It's so romantic," gushed Nieta.

"Yeah, if only you and Garrett could get your feelings out," commented Lia. "And as for you, Mika, we all know that your eyes are all over Ray."

"Because I know the idiot is gonna try and sneak some alcohol down his throat," said Mika, rolling her eyes.

"Denial," said Lia and Nieta at the same time.

"No, denial is what Lia does when someone she likes Creston," said Mika.

"Let's change the subject," said Lia quickly.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Sam, curiosity in his voice.

"What, we can't have a little girl talk?" asked Nieta.

"Girl talk? Hang on I'll be there in a minute!" shouted Star across the miasma stream. She ran away from Sam over to the girls.

Sam felt rather disgruntled. "Great," he muttered. Ray gave him a sympathetic look.

"Oh, cheer up dude, you'll bring her around eventually," advised the Selkie. Garrett, who was nearby, came walking over, while Creston subconsciously eased closer to talk with the boys.

"You see Sam, girls are like cows," explained Ray.

"Did you just call Star a cow?" demanded Sam angrily.

"No! I was just using an example…okay, fine…animals…girls are like animals," Ray corrected himself hastily.

"This coming from you, wild boy," muttered Garrett. Ray gave him a glare, but then continued.

"Girls are like animals; they travel in packs…schools…uh…herds?"

"Groups," said Creston helpfully.

"Right!" said Ray. "So you see…until…uh…mating season…you're not going to be able to woo your mate."

Sam gave the Selkie a blank look. "What?"

Creston sighed. "He's saying that you won't be able to win over Star until the right moment, so for now, just let her hang with the girls."

"Oh. Wait, how do you know I like Star? And why couldn't you just say that in the first place instead of talking about animals?" asked Sam, trying not be embarrassed.

"Your feelings for Star are so obvious, even Garrett's noticed," said Ray. Garrett muttered a curse at the Selkie.

"You didn't answer the second question. Why couldn't you just keep it simple?"

"Simple isn't my style," said Ray smoothly, his classic smirk returning to his face.

'_Looks like Ray's feeling better_,' thought Garrett darkly. '_Asshole_.'

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

The Tipa caravan travelled across the Vale of Alfitaria as the sun set in the evening sky. But little did they know, they were being watched from behind the trees.

"Alright then…," whispered Bal Dat, the leader of the Striped Brigands. "We've got them right where we want them. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" said Meh Gaj.

"Hey, kupo," said Artemicion. "I just realized something."

"Oh yeah?" said Bal Dat. "What?"

The striped moogles sighed. "I want to be a star. I want to be a light in the sky and guide others and shine down upon people."

"Wow…just wow…," muttered the elderly Selkie.

"Are you speechless with emotion, kupo?"

"No, we're dumbfounded by your stupidity," said Bal Dat harshly. "Now shut up! Here they come! Get in position!"

As the caravan reached a fork in the road, the thieves made their move.

Artemicion and Meh Gaj both jumped in front of each path at the fork. Bal Dat, meanwhile, stood behind the caravan, blocking any escape.

"Alright then!" shouted Bal Dat. "Hand over all your valuables if you want to leave here!"

Creston, who was currently at the helm, tried to assess the situation calmly. Star came up to him.

"What do we do?" asked Star. Creston just shook his head.

"You're not getting past me!" shouted Meh Gaj.

"I don't know…but I don't think we should fight them…," thought Creston out loud.

"For the love of…," muttered Ray. Then a devious smile formed on his face. He ran forward and pushed Creston out of the way.

"Move over, helmet head, let me handle this!" yelled the Selkie, his smile making him look slightly crazed.

"What are they doing, kupo?" asked Artemicion to Meh Gaj. Then Ray flicked the reins.

Immediately, the papopotamus rushed forward. It charged towards the moogles and knocked him out of the way, sending him into the sky.

Ray, meanwhile, still cackling, led the caravan away down the path. His laughter was loud, gleeful, but slightly maniacal. But it told every Tipa caravanner one thing.

Ray was back!

Meanwhile, at the fork in the road, the two Selkie bandits stared at the sky.

"And so, he became a star," commented Meh Gaj.

"Big time," said Bal Dat.

((Author's Note: I don't know the proper spelling of the creature that pulls the caravan (Papopotamus-thing). If anyone knows, please tell me how to spell it right. Thanks!))

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

And so we are done with another chapter. Hurrah!

Favorite Parts: The Boy/Girl talks in the miasma stream, and the Striped Brigands scene. But I also have two quotes I would like repeat here because I love them.

((1). "GOD DAMNIT, SON OF A GOBLIN!" shouted Garrett painfully.))

((2). "That's no plan; that's suicide," said Creston, rolling his eyes.

"Way to crush a kid's dream," said Garrett, giving Creston a glare.

"Oh yes- a child wanting to murder a vicious swordsman and become a great warrior. Must remind you of yourself," theorized Creston scathingly.

Garrett roared in rage, and was quickly restrained by Sam and Ray. ))

I'm sorry Garrett, but Creston owned you with that one. XD

So I built up the plot a tad bit more. Black Knight. Go him. And I even included little Leon Esla. Murderous little brat.

As for the Striped Brigands…I included that purely for the humor value.

Romance appears. If you haven't noticed, I kept it within the same race. There are little hints in there. DON'T WORRY! I am NOT going to start focusing on romance more than action! I hate fics that start out good, but become a soap opera.

Sam and Star are being flirty, Garrett and Nieta don't know a thing about love, Mika's in denial, while Ray flirts with her without shame. And Creston and Lia…well…tiny spoiler, they're the last couple to get together, so…they won't be touched upon TOO much until later.

NEXT CHAPTER: Veo Lu Sluice. The source of water for the Jegon River. The caravan faces its toughest dungeon yet. Can they cope with griffins, toads, and the sinister, clever, Lizardmen?

Creston: And I finally get to request a review. Joy. So review, please. *turns to Garrett* That's how you ask for a review.

Garrett: YOU TRYIN' TO START SOMETHING!?


	26. Dashing through the Sluice

Finally…after a really friggin' long time, I finally GOT MY LAPTOP WORKING! HOORAH! So sorry for no updates for awhile…my Microsoft fails…

So this chapter, we FINALLY GET TO ANOTHER DUNGEON! This time we're live at Veo Lu Sluice. I happen to enjoy this level. It's a very unique level with a couple of strange puzzles. But I always get lost…damnit.

On another note, we are no longer sheltering Jack Moschet. We have traded with Maggie for something almighty and extremely brilliant.

Jack: A STRIPED APPLE!? YOU TRADED ME FOR A STRIPED APPLE!?

Me: Well…the Striped Brigands did it for Gurdy…_

Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to 62 because she guessed Sam's dream all that long time ago. (See the "Fever" chapter for more) :P

ANOTHER WARNING! In this chapter, we introduce the lizardmen. Now, the lizardmen always hiss on their s's (like 'sss') so be cautious of the…sssing?

Well…now that we're updated, shall we get back to this lovely story…of death?

**0000000000000000000000000000**

"Why does it have to be cold?" whined Nieta.

"Because we're up north, and it's cold up there," explained Lianora.

Garrett snorted. "It's only a little chill, stop whining."

The Tipa caravanners were moving through Veo Lu. They could see Lake Shella in the distance. The sky was cloudy gray, but the air was very refreshing. And as Nieta had said, it was a bit colder than any other area they had been in.

Star, who was currently hugging Mog to keep warm, looked over at the arguing group. "Come on guys, let's not argue," she said.

"Hey, Nieta's got a point," said Mika, rubbing her arms. "It isn't exactly tropical here."

"You know, I could warm you up real good if you let me," said Ray, winking.

Mika sighed. "I almost miss the depressing alcoholic."

"Ha-ha," said Ray sarcastically. He was clearly ashamed of how depressed he had become over the whole sister's death thing.

"Well, to break up the flirting, Veo Lu Sluice is just ahead," remarked Creston, pointing. Everyone turned their heads. Connecting to the large lake was a bunch of little pools with water inside.

"Shall we go then? Everyone got your stuff? Do we still have the moogle?" asked Sam. Everyone nodded. "Then let's go."

The caravan moved on. Ray wrapped an arm around Mika. Mika shot him a look.

"You never said no," he said with a smirk on his face.

Mika was about to make a scornful comeback, but instead she wrapped an arm around Ray's waste. Ray's eyes widened as he looked at her in confusion.

"I think I could warm you up," she said in a seductive tone. Ray's eyebrows rose in amazement. Mika laughed at his expression before walking ahead of him.

"And she called me an alcoholic. What the hell is she drinking?" asked Ray to himself.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

Veo Lu Sluice was a bit more peaceful than they expected, but that opinion was soon to be changed.

"Sam! Watch out! It's a bomb!" shouted Garrett. Sam whirled around and knocked the creature away. It landed in one of the many pools of water. There was a sound of an explosion under water, but only a few bubbles rose to the surface.

"Thanks for the warning," said Sam, stunned.

The sluice was very large and sandy. There were many ruins of buildings and fences, showing that at one point, before miasma struck there may have been civilization there. Trees and bushes had grown over the remains. But all in all, it was very beautiful.

"Pity that the world is covered by a deadly substance, or I would remember this place for a vacation. It's very lovely here," said Ray glancing around. Everyone stared at him.

Garrett raised an eyebrow. "You'd take a vacation in a big lake-side area, where there aren't any pretty girls for a mile around? That's not like you."

Ray looked offended. "Dude, just because I enjoy the female species DOESN'T mean they're the only thing on my mind."

"So why would you want a vacation here?" asked Garrett.

"I like water."

"What was that 'no pretty girls for miles around' comment supposed to mean, Garrett?" asked Lianora, folding her arms. Garrett felt a sweat drop.

"Yes Garrett, please explain," said Mika, a dark expression on her face.

Garrett was rubbing his head, trying to think of a response.

"Well? We're waiting," said Star. All four girls were giving the poor Lilty a death glare. If looks could kill, Garrett would have been dead in three seconds.

"Well, uh-," began the Lilty.

"Let's change the subject," urged Sam. All the girls snapped their eyes on him. Sam would've wet his pants if he was a year or two younger.

"Why Sam?" demanded Nieta hotly. "Why do you want to change the subject so badly? Hunh!?"

Ray and Creston exchanged a glance. Being the two smooth talkers of the group, they decided to take action. Ray covered Garrett's mouth, and Creston did the same with Sam.

"What Garrett MEANT to say," Creston explained. "Is that he doesn't think of you as girls but-"

"WHAT!?!" shouted Nieta.

"He considers you refined, smart, and powerful women who could kick his ass any time," said Ray. "And the same is true with all of us guys."

Garrett was protesting, but his words were muffled. Sam was waving his hands trying to get everyone's attention.

"Oh…why didn't you just say so?" asked Star. The girls calmed down. Sam was still waving his arms and Garrett was still talking against his hand.

"Well it's good to know we're WOMEN," said Mika shrugging. Sam was waving his arms even more rapidly, and Garrett bit Ray's hand.

"What is with you two?" asked Creston. They both uncovered the twos' mouths.

"DUCK!" they both screamed at the same time.

"Where?" asked Ray. Everyone else had ducked down. A cutlass went flying over the heads of the caravanners (or in Ray's case, right past) and landed in the ground blade-first.

The caravanners whirled around and saw a bizarre creature standing there. Its body structure was similar to a man's, but the appearance was completely different. It was covered in green scales and each finger and toe was tipped with a claw. A long spiny tail was waving absently behind it. It was wearing simple armor. But the most appalling thing was the face. It was lean and evil looking, and was that of a lizard. A tongue flicked out every couple of seconds, swiping itself around the jaws. Cold yellow eyes glittered with menace.

Ray looked at Sam. "That's not a duck. You lied."

"A lizardman…," muttered Creston uneasily. The creatures were known for strength, speed, and unrivaled cunning.

"Ssso," hissed the beast, his teeth making a sinister grin. "What do we have here, hmm? A group of caravannersss exploring the sssluice?"

"No, we're here for the tree, dumb ass," snarled Garrett, spear in hand. The lizardman's leering grin widened.

"Ah, yesss," crooned the monster. "But don't think it'sss going to be that easssy." With those words, he snapped his fingers. Two creatures joined him. The first one was small and gelatinous, and was light blue in color; a water flan. The second monster was also blue, but it was large. Its body was fat and bulky. This was a gigan toad, an amphibious creature that was often found in the wetlands.

"Ssso…let'sss sssee how ssstrong you really are," said the reptilian monster. "Attack!"

The water flan slid forward, spraying a frigid gas at the caravanners. Only Nieta and Ray were hit, and the two groaned as they felt the familiar effects of a slow spell.

Mika swung for the creature, but the flan moved out of the way. As Sam ran forward, he was forced to stop to avoid a blizzard spell cast by the gigan toad. Creston was about to cast a spell, when he heard a swishing sound behind him. Creston barely had time to dodge the sword of the lizardman, who had retrieved his blade.

Lia, who wasn't being attacked, had charged up a fire spell and sent it at the flan. The creature shuddered violently. Sam swiftly moved forward and struck a finishing blow. The flan was reduced to a bubbling pile.

Star had aimed a lightning spell at the toad, who had countered with a blizzard spell of its own. Garrett ran forward straight at the beast, spear in hand, when the unexpected happened. The gigan toad's tongue shot out of its mouth and licked Garrett's head.

Silence.

"…aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAARGH!" yelled Garrett, wiping his face as quick as he could. "That's gross! It smells like ass!"

Ray and Nieta, although still under the slow spell, doubled over laughing hysterically. Sam hastily turned his own laugh into a cough, while Star covered her mouth with her hands. Even the lizardman chuckled, which gave Creston the opening he needed. He struck the reptile with his hammer, sending it sprawling across the landscape, before sending a fire spell to finish it off. The lizardman shuddered and jerked but in the end remained still. As the toad shot out his tongue at Garrett again, the fuming Lilty grabbed the toad's tongue and cut it off, before jabbing his spear in the poor creature's throat. With a gurgling croak, the beast rolled over and died.

"You know, those toads could be good pets," remarked Mika thoughtfully. Garrett gave her a death glare.

The gang moved on before they came up to another obstacle: two lizardmen and a gigan toad. The reptiles noticed them right away.

"Intrudersss," said one of them. "How on earth did they manage to get passst Ssservall?"

"I have no idea, Raussst," growled the other one. "They mussst've caught him by sssurprissse."

"Ssshall we dissspossse of them, Zesssall?" asked the lizardman named Raust.

"Yesss," hissed Zesall. "Let'sss."

Both lizardmen rushed forward, but right before they could attack, Creston and Lia casted a Thundaga spell together. Both creatures fell to the ground in a heap. Garrett, meanwhile, hurled his spear at the toad, with his weapon stabbing it in the side. Before the toad could defend itself, Star ran forward and ran the creature through with her sword. Sky blue blood poured from the dead monster.

Creston turned around to check if the two lizardmen were dead, but the bodies had disappeared!

"They've either dissolved into miasma, or escaped," commented the Yuke. "Either way, let's move on."

He failed to notice Raust's tail disappearing around a bush.

**000000000000000000000000**

Eventually, the caravanners came to a door. Creston walked up to it and examined it closely.

"It has a keyhole," he reported. "But no monster is nearby…so where is the key?"

Everyone began to look. But no one could find the elusive key.

"Where could it be?" asked Garrett, taking a step back. _Click._

Garrett looked down to find that he had stepped on a switch! As he stood on it, a few feet away, water burst out of a spring hole. A key shot out of the water. Garrett ran to grab it but the key and the water flowed back into the hole.

"Wait!" shouted Star. "Garrett, stay on that switch!" Garrett obeyed and key emerged again. Star grabbed it.

"That was rather complex for such a wild environment," observed Lia.

"Whatever, we've got the key, so let's keep going," said Mika, as Star placed the key in the lock.

As the gang walked into another clearing they were met by two lizardmen, and a blue bomb.

"Watch out for the blizzard bomb," warned Lia. "They'll freeze you instead of burning you.

"I would never guess that from their name," said Ray in a sarcastic drawl that was worthy of Creston.

At the sound of voices, the lizardmen turned and attacked. The bomb started to cast a meteor spell.

"Someone! Get the bomb!" shouted Sam. Garrett ran forward and swung his spear. He missed the first time, but managed to make contact on the second strike. The bomb didn't die, but it was sent soaring away. It hurtled toward Sam and one of lizardmen. As Sam was about to strike a blow to the reptile, the bomb got in the way and was pierced by his sword. As the bomb began to glow, Sam dropped his sword and dove for cover, and managed to avoid being caught in the icy blast that followed. The unfortunate lizardman was caught in the blast, and Ray and Mika made short work of him.

"Larisss!" shouted the other lizardman in dismay. But before he could make a response, he found himself with a spear in his stomach. Dark blood welled up from the wound as the monster fell still. Nieta shook the body off of her spear and the caravan moved on.

They came to a clearing with three lizardmen and a water flan. They had faced worse odds.

As Sam shouted a battle cry, and the friends moved forward, they were interrupted by a loud noise. It sounded like…wings?

_Flap flap flap…_

And then they saw it. A griffin was soaring down from the clouds in the blue sky, screeching loudly.

"Well then…this could be trouble," murmured Creston.

"Let's go already!" roared Garrett.

As they rushed forward, two of the lizardmen headed for Garrett and Star. The third stayed back and began to hiss magical words.

"Crap…a mage," said Lianora, who began to cast a spell of her own.

Mika wax dealing with the water flan. It kept trying to whack her (well…whatever it was doing with that jelly body). Mika managed to dodge and cast a fire spell on the creature. It let out a gurgle, and managed to throw one last strike at her before it died. Mika groaned and wiped the gelatinous goo off of herself.

"Ew," she said.

Garrett was dueling with his monster, but just as he was about to sever the thing's head, a blast from the sky came down and froze him. Taking the opportunity, the lizardman stabbed him.

"Gah!" yelped Garrett as he unfroze. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

Ray, who was currently hanging on a flying griffin, gave the Lilty an apologetic look.

"Sorry, he's a little hard to control…" called the Selkie. Garrett just snarled a reply, and finished his job of severing the lizardman's head. Meanwhile, Lianora was having trouble with her lizardman, who kept dodging her magic attacks. Nieta ran over to help her. The Lilty girl made the mage dodge into Lia's magical attack. The lizardman was struck by lightning and paralyzed, making it an easy kill for Nieta. Meanwhile, Star parried a lizardman's blow and cut him open. The lizardman let out a cry and dropped his sword as he fell to the ground, dead.

Ray was thrown off the griffin (who he had been clutching the stomach of). He landed on the ground, sand rising around him.

"Okay, we can take a griffin," said Sam. The griffin let out a screech and another griffin flew in.

"Or two," said Nieta, shrugging. Everyone rushed forward to attack the creatures. Mika sent projectiles at the first griffin, but the monstrous bird-creature rose into the air and sent another frozen blast down at the caravanners. Mika dodged, but the blast wound up hitting Creston, and the male Yuke was frozen solid. Garrett, Sam, and Ray all attacked the griffin, with Ray leaping on the back of the creature. The griffin shrieked, and stomped the ground, sending a shockwave rippling towards Garrett and Sam. The two were sent flying backwards. Ray continued to pummel the griffin on the head with his racket, and he kicked his legs on the sides of the griffins.

Oops.

You know how if you kick a horse, it will "giddy up". Imagine that with a griffin. The griffin rose into the air, taking Ray with it.

Meanwhile, Lianora sent a fire spell at the second griffin, while Nieta stabbed it furiously. The griffin knocked Nieta back with its tail and sent a magic shot at Lia. Both fighters were hit, but the distracted griffin became an easy target for Star, who made an uppercut that slashed open the avian monster's body. The griffin let out a final squawk before falling to the ground.

Ray was still riding his griffin, until the creature landed on the ground and shook Ray off. As Ray was about to make a strike, the griffin swung its tail at him.

_Wham!_

"Mommy…," whispered Ray in a high voice, clutching his crotch as he fell to the ground. Garrett, Sam, and Creston all flinched.

"Oh god…that's just…poor guy…," said Creston, bowing his head in respect.

"No man deserves that," said Sam, wincing at the memory in his head.

Mika, rolling her eyes, finished off the griffin. It fell down and dropped something.

"Hmm? What's this?" asked Mika, picking it up. It appeared to be a blue ring.

"That's a Blizzard ring," confirmed Creston after examining it. "It allows you to perform better ice magic."

"Can I have it?" asked Garrett.

"Finders keepers," retorted Mika, with a smirk that was not unlike Ray.

"So there's the door, and I sense the myrrh tree beyond it…," said Creston. "But where's the key?"

"So let's look for it," said Ray. He had gotten over his crotch shot, but fell over, clutch his stomach.

"Ray? What's wrong?" asked Star.

"My…stomach hurts…," said Ray, moaning slightly.

"That's what happens when you ride a griffin out of the crystal's barrier," said Creston. "Didn't you learn ANYTHING in the Mushroom Forest in Chapter 5?"

"Chapter 5?" asked Sam.

"Never mind," muttered Creston.

"So, where's the key?" asked Garrett.

"How about we press this switch?" asked Lianora, standing by a switch. She stepped on it. Far away, a spurt of water rose out of a hole, carrying a key with it.

"One problem," said Nieta. "It's out of the crystal's barrier, and if we all go to get it, Lia will have to step off the switch to come with us."

"Then let me run out and get it, because we Selkies are fastest, and Ray is well…in pain," offered Mika. Everyone nodded. The Selkie girl quickly ran out, swiped the key, and ran back to the barrier.

"Good job!" said Star. "Do you feel okay?"

"Slight headache, but I'm fine," assured Mika. "Let's move on."

"Agreed," said Creston. Mika put the key in the lock, and the large wooden door open. The eight warriors (and Mog) all walked on to retrieve the myrrh.

**00000000000000000000**

Finally, I got another chapter done. I'm sorry it took so long, but I hope I can get more chapters finished early.

Favorite parts: Mika's "seduction", Garrett getting licked by the toad, and poor Ray's crotch shot (and especially how the men reacted).

Ssso, about thisss chapter.

When Mika ssseduced Ray, it wasss reverssse psssychology. (Okay enough hissing)

And apparently it worked. Ray has been put in his place.

Veo Lu is large, but you see, getting to the boss isn't that long. Now if you get every treasure chest and enemy, THEN it becomes long. That being said, I shortened it a bit.

NOTE: Soon, the levels are going to start becoming REALLY long. In the cases of a really long level, I will divide up the chapters of the level, not only the level and the boss. I'm planning on about three for Conall Curach, maybe four for Rebena Te Ra, Three for Selepation Cave, and at least three for Lynari Desert. Daemon's Court and Mount Kilanda are both pretty short, so I'll probably only have two for them (although I'm having a plot twist in Daemon's Court).

Next Chapter: The gang is about to get the tree. The golem would let them pass, but since they've got Mog, who technically is a monster, the golem attacks. The gang must now fight the monster on behalf of a poor moogle.

Ray: And finally, the last caravanner gets a review. I would've been before Creston, but I was drunk at the time. So yeah, people, review and uh…well…I dunno, just…review…or something.

Mika: You call THAT a review request?

Ray: Hey, I have a review request for you. *wink*

Mika: Bring it on. *smirk* I'll kick your ass.

Garrett: Which one is the drunk here?


	27. The Guardian

We now return to the Final Fantasy: Miasma Soap Opera.

Maggie: I'm sorry Jack. I'm pregnant. And the Dragon Zombie's the father.

Jack: NOOOOOOOOOOO!

JUST KIDDING :D!

So in this chapter, the Tipa caravan faces off against the golem. Personally, I'm okay with the golem. He isn't too easy or too hard, and he's got a pretty good background. But personally…my favorite boss will always be the Dragon Zombie XD.

Also last chapter, my dedication didn't come out somehow, so it was dedicated to m i d n I g h t _ w o l f 6 2 (except without all the spaces :P )

So yeah…not much goin' on…so…ON WITH THE SHOW! MUAHAHAHA! *pulls a lever*

**00000000000000000000000000000000000**

The Tipa caravan found themselves in a large arena. To the right there was a water-filled path that led to the myrrh tree. Scattered around the area were brown remains of something.

"Well, there's the tree," said Sam, pointing. "I guess we ought to go get it."

"Strange," said Nieta. "For once, I honestly don't think we're going to have to fight for the myrrh."

Of course, the Lilty girl was mistaken.

As if they had triggered an alarm, the brown pieces on the ground suddenly began to rise. And all at once, they began to move and cluster together to form a whole new creature.

Giant, sturdy arms, with powerful fists connected to a large, stone body that stood on stumpy legs. Perched on top of the body was a head with gleaming orange eyes. On the creature's head was a crown of sorts, with a green gem embedded within.

"Scanning visitors," came an expressionless voice from the new monster. He seemed to be looking over each caravanner. "No threat identified. Golem is free to let them pass."

But then the creature shuddered. "No. Scanners indicate miasma on visitors. And scanners identify a monster. Life forms are intruders."

"What?!" yelled Ray. "Monsters? And what does he mean miasma on us?"

"I think I can guess," said Star, pointing to Mog. The caravanners had forgotten that moogles could survive in miasma, and therefore could be considered "monsters".

"As for the miasma on us, I'm guessing that would probably be from all the times we've left the barrier," explained Lianora. "And seeing how we all left the crystal's barrier in Moschet Manor, I'm guessing that we all have a hint of miasma on us. Still, I think the golem considers Mog the main threat, and we're allies."

"So we have to fight him because of a moogle?" demanded Garrett. "Then why don't we just get rid of the stupid thing."

This was met by a long silence. Then Mog quietly spoke up.

"I can leave if you want…kupo," he offered. After these words were spoken, everyone else exploded.

"How could you even suggest that?!" asked Nieta.

"Mog is our friend!" added Star.

"Dude, that is so not cool," said Ray.

"We're not going to get rid of him because of a stupid guard," said Creston. "He holds the chalice for us and he's a valuable companion."

"Alright, alright, sorry Mog," said Garrett apologetically.

"Point remaining, we have a monster to fight," said Sam, waiting in apprehension for the golem's next move.

"Intruders have come close to the myrrh tree. All intruders must be eliminated," droned the golem. The green gem on its head flashed red. And with that, the battle began.

Sam, Nieta, and Ray all rushed forward in a line, but before they even got close to the golem, the golem shot his fists at them. His fists flew off his arms and hurtled straight toward the three. Sam and Ray were both hit by a fist, but Nieta (who had been in the middle) didn't get hit at all.

"Guys!" she shouted. "There's a blind spot in the middle of each pair of fists. If you stand there, he won't hit you."

The golem was now handless, but he still had some minions to help him. Two water flan emerged from the water around the myrrh tree and slid toward the caravanners. Creston caught sight of this and managed to take one out with a Firaga spell. As the other water flan advanced closer, Garrett ran up to the creature and stabbed it furiously with his spear. The flan only got in one hit on Garrett before it dissolved into miasma.

'The golem shot his hands…so that means…he's disarmed himself!' thought Creston. "Guys! He can't punch you without any hands!"

Lianora rushed forward, and swung her hammer at the golem- but as she did so, the golem let out a gas from its body. Slow gas. Ray ran up and distracted the golem long enough for Lia to crawl away. Ray managed to get in two strikes before something strange happened. A new set of arms appeared on the golem's body. With a vicious punch, the golem sent Ray flying backwards into the water.

"But…his arms exploded!" said Nieta, appalled. "How'd he get them back."

"Yukes made this creature," said Creston. "So it's bound to have powerful magical properties. So it can summon its arms back."

"Arms or no arms, I'll still destroy him!" roared Garrett as he rushed forward, lance in hand. The golem however, planted its body on the ground and shot a blue laser at the Lilty. Garrett found himself frozen solid!

"Ice…I'm not surprised," muttered Sam, but he ran up behind the golem and struck it on the head. The golem stumbled forward.

"Seventy percent power left…," the creature stated. "Must work harder."

He swung two punches at Sam, but Sam dodged them both and managed to get more attacks on the golem. The golem responded by swing his arms around in a circular manner, knocking the male Clavat away. Star took over, running straight at the stone monster. The golem shot both of its arms at her, but Star blocked one with her shield. She ran up and made a few slashes before she was hit with slow gas.

"Forty-five percent power remaining," said the golem. "Must release maximum power."

The golem planted itself on the ground, and drew a circle around itself with a red lazer. Star, Mika, and Creston were all within the circle. Fire exploded within the lines of the circle, burning all three caravanners.

"Yow!" shouted Mika, putting out some flames on her skirt. "That was a little hot!" The Selkie, using her new blizzard ring, sent a Blizzara blast at the golem. The golem froze for a second or two, but unfroze in time to summon back his hands, and to knock Garrett back.

Creston and Lia were sending powerful spells left and right, but always had to stop when the golem sent his rocket fists at them. Afterwards, he knocked all the close range fighters away with his red laser blast.

"Twenty…percent power….remaining…," said the golem, his voice starting to become distorted. He was struck again by Sam. "Seventeen…"

"We're wearing him down!" shouted Nieta. "C'mon guys!"

The caravanners continued to pummel the golem. As the golem was on its last legs, it caught sight of Mog holding the chalice. It aimed its fist at the moogle.

WHOOSH! BOOM!

"Kupo!" squealed Mog, as he fell from the air. Mika dashed over and caught him and the chalice.

"You son of a bitch!" shouted Nieta, stabbing the golem with her spear. The golem shuddered and twitched.

"Zero…power…remaining…powering…down," droned the monster. The gem on his head flashed between green and black and eventually settled on yellow. The golem fell apart, its pieces flying off and becoming ruins once more.

"We beat him," said Ray, wiping some sweat off his face.

"Yeah…," said Star. "How's Mog?"

"Injured," reported Lia. "Stupid monster…Mog didn't even do anything."

"He was primarily the source of the fight, so the golem wanted to eliminate the main threat," said Creston logically. "So attacking the moogle was perfectly justified, in the golem's eyes.

Nieta glared hotly at the Yuke, hating his cool, calculated views sometimes. "Will he be alright?" she asked.

"Well we'll take him to Shella, as it's nearby. Someone can heal him there," answered Lia. Creston's blood ran cold.

"Should we go to Shella?" asked Creston, in a last ditch effort to get the caravanners away from Veo Lu. "I mean, Alfitaria isn't far off. We could find better doctors there most likely."

Lia looked at him in surprise. "But there are more mages in Shella, and more academics. Surely they would know more about healing?"

"Besides, Alfitaria is too far away," agreed Mika. "Mog needs to be treated NOW. And it'll take us a day to reach Shella."

Creston nodded in defeat. "Alright. Shella it is."

Ray returned from the myrrh tree with the chalice filled a third of the way. Everyone but Ray and Creston received their letters. After the gang chose some treasures to keep (with Garrett whining that it was unfair how Mika got the ring), they left Veo Lu Sluice. Creston stared up at the sky, and then looked over at the city of Shella in the distance.

"God help me," he whispered too quietly for any caravanner to hear.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Woo! Done! PLOTTWIST~~

Favorite Parts: Everyone getting pissed at Garrett, and when Mog was attacked (I didn't LIKE that part, but I think it was well written).

DAMN YOU GOLEM! MOG DIDN'T NEED TO BE PUNCHED! DX

Although it's kind of funny because this is the image I keep getting:

Golem: FALCON PUNCH! *punches Mog*

So yeah…I personally thought this chapter was a little bland, but the golem doesn't leave much to characterize. I mean, Jack Moschet and Goblin King are easy to give personality…but the golem isn't supposed to HAVE one. So yeah…

Also: Last chapter, I forgot to include this in my favorite moments, but I personally cracked up when I wrote Creston breaking the fourth wall when he mentioned Chapter 5.

Next Chapter: In the quiet town of Shella, a certain caravanner is worried. Creston has faced many monsters, injuries, and dangerous events with calm and logic. But can he keep his cool when faced with his biggest fear: his father?


	28. Cold Fear

*fires a cannon* Good evening…afternoon..WHATEVER TIME IT IS!

Currently in the writing world, we are fight hoards of sahagin off, as they desire to be in the story a BIT too much. Fortunately, we are allies with Armstrong and the Golem, so all is well.

Sahagin: WE MUST GET THEM! WE HAVEN'T MADE OUR APPEARANCE YET!

Armstrong: You only have to wait…one more chapter…

So in this chapter, Creston faces off with his father. To all my glorious readers, I am sorry, but you're going to be pissed when I end this chapter, because his past doesn't get TOTALLY revealed.

On the topic of character chapters, I finally have ideas for Mika and Star, so don't worry about submitting any.

Enough chitter-chatter. Off we go!

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

It was slightly chilly, and the skies were a bit cloudy. Two Yukes stood on a cliffside. All of a sudden, the older Yuke perked up. A group of people were walking towards them. Caravanners, he assumed. There were two of each tribe, and both genders of each tribe. The Yuke spoke to the Yukes of the caravan.

"Welcome friends," he said. "Let me raise the bridge for you."

A bridge appeared out of nowhere, shining brilliantly. The two Yukes walked over the bridge. One of the others, a Lilty, made to follow, but the bridge vanished!

"I am sorry, but you must have a Shella Mark to enter," said the old Yuke. The Lilty scowled. From across the water where the bridge once stood, the male Yuke threw something across to the rest of his caravan.

"A mark of Shella," commented the male Selkie with a clever smile. "Looks like we're in."

The bridge was raised, and the Tipa caravan entered Shella.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Alright, I'm taking Mog to a doctor," said Nieta. Star and Garrett decided to head with her.

"I'm going to go explore," stated Mika. She walked off, while Ray trailed behind her. She cast him an odd look, and he just shrugged. He didn't have any plans.

"Fine, tag along," said Mika. Ray nodded.

"Should we split up so soon?" asked Sam to Creston. But the Yuke seemed strangely distant. "Creston?"

Creston gave a little flinch of surprise. "Oh-oh um…exploring is alright. Shella isn't very large."

With that, the male Yuke headed off. Sam looked around. Lia had already left without a word. The Clavat was all alone.

"Well then, might as well look around," he mumbled to himself.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Nieta. She and her friends had found a healer who said he could help Mog.

"He'll be fine, the damage isn't too serious," said the female Yuke. "What on earth happened to him?"

"That hulking rockhead at the sluice went berserk and punched him," explained Garrett flatly. The healer looked alarmed.

"The golem?" she exclaimed. "Oh dear…I'd better tell Amidatty when he gets back. We can't have the golem attacking innocent caravans."

"Yeah," muttered Garrett crossly. "Fix it AFTER we beat the crap out of it. Great."

The Yuke handed Mog to Star. "He'll be asleep for a while, but other than that, he'll be fine," she assured. Star smiled.

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head in respect. "How much do we owe you?"

"Nothing at all," said the healer, shaking her head. "It's always good to help a person heal their friends. No charge."

"Alright then," said Nieta. "Now what?"

"Let's go get lunch!" shouted Garrett. Star and Nieta flashed each other a look. That wasn't a bad idea, coming from Garrett's mouth.

The three went off to get some food.

**00000000000000000000000**

Sam was walking along the paths of the small town, browsing here and there, while keeping an eye out for his friends. He had only caught sight of Lia once, and he may have glimpsed Ray's hair disappearing around a corner. Sighing at boredom and loneliness, he sat down on a bench.

Everyone seemed strangely distant and detached from each other. Creston was very quiet lately, and seemed to be a lot more tense than usual. And that wasn't all. Garrett hadn't picked any fights from Veo Lu Sluice to Shella. At all. Nieta was quieter, Mika wasn't as lively, and Ray hadn't made many wisecracks lately. Even he and Star had drifted further apart, which worried him most of all…wait…why was he so worried about that? He and Star were just friends…even if Sam wanted them to be more.

Sam closed his eyes and lied on the bench in frustration. He didn't know what to do to get his friends all together again. But he was afraid it was going to be a lot worse.

But for a second, he forgot everything.

In a flash, he was somewhere else. Somewhere white, and a soft lullaby-like music drifted into his ear.

Sam's eyes snapped open and he clutched his head.

"Why do I keep having that dream?" he asked himself.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

Creston was moving silently through the town of Shella. He wasn't trying to hide himself. He knew that if he did, he would become more conspicuous. Not to mention, his father would find him. He would _always _find him.

He stayed out in the open. Trying to act normal. Maybe if he acted like everyone else, he would remain hidden…

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

Lianora walked about the town, not doing anything in particular. She had already seen Shella's green crystal, admired some of the Yuke culture, and talked to some of the townsfolk. She truly felt at ease her. In the other towns they had been to, both had been populated by many Lilties, most of which still carried racism towards the Yukes and Selkies in the times of war (although most tribes carried racism toward Selkies).

But her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into someone. THUMP!

Lia found herself on the ground. "Are you alright?" came a voice from above her. She looked up.

"Yes," she responded.

"Here, let me help you up," said the voice. As the man helped her up, Lia noticed two things. One, the stranger was a Yuke. Two, he looked VERY familiar.

"I'm sorry about that," apologized the female Yuke.

"It's quite alright," said the Yuke. "Forgive me, I did not introduce myself. I am Selstun. But I don't recognize you…are you not from around here?"

"Um…I'm from the Tipa caravan, we're just visiting," stated Lianora, somewhat nervously. She sensed a smile playing onto the Yuke's lips.

"Ah…the Tipa caravan…," said Selstun. "You see, there is someone from the Tipa caravan I'm wanting to see…can you take me to him?"

"Sure…," said Lia. "But who is it?"

"It's…"

**000000000000000000000000000000**

"So you're trying to figure out a way to travel through miasma without a crystal?" asked Ray, impressed.

"That's right," said De Nam, the Selkie scientist. Ray and Mika had walked through the town of Shella, and they came across De Nam (after Ray got lost twice and Mika had to find him). They seemed to like the Selkie scientist, as they could relate to the man. De Nam's plans and ideas were often ridiculed by other scientists because he was a Selkie.

"So…do you have a plan?" asked Mika.

"I was thinking of going to a place that's heavy with miasma, and has a lot of water," explained De Nam. "Somewhere where I can drink contaminated water. My current list of locations includes River Belle Path, Veo Lu Sluice, Mount Kilanda, and Conall Curach. But I really think I'm going to Conall Curach."

Mika flashed a look at Ray, who tensed up at the mention of Conall Curach.

"If I can succeed, then we'll be able to walk through the world and not have to rely on a chalice or myrrh for safety. It'll be something that will help the entire world!" said De Nam.

"It sounds great," said Mika. "I hope you succeed."

"And if you go to Conall Curach, be careful," said Ray. De Nam nodded.

The two Selkies bid De Nam farewell and walked away.

"Do you think he'll succeed?" asked Mika to Ray.

"I hope he does, Mika," said Ray, his eyes still dark with pain at the mention of the marshy swamp. "I really hope he does. Because there are many awful fates that await someone in that damn swamp."

**000000000000000000000000000000**

Creston felt hope rise in his chest. The caravan had been in Shella for a few hours. Sam said that they weren't going to stay there for the night. This meant that Creston was almost in the clear.

His heartbeat was starting to steady, and he was calming down. In fact, why not go back to the caravan now? He'd think of an excuse.

As he was about to leave, however, a voice cut through his thoughts like an icy, cold blade.

"Hello Creston," said a familiar voice behind him. Creston froze, and his heart began to race again. Panic rushed to his head as he turned around. And there he was, standing next to…Lianora? Creston gritted his teeth under his mask. He must have used her to find him.

Facing him, was his father, Selstun. Selstun was wearing a helm identical to Creston's except it was a bit darker in color. He had on a purple jacket, as well as a gray shirt and pants. Black boots were on his feet, and his feathered arms were brown, but starting to gray.

Lianora stepped forward. "Creston, you know this guy, right? I mean I- oh!"

Realization washed over her as she noticed the similarities between the two. Creston was about an inch shorter, but the two were similar in stature, clothes, and even helmets. Even their VOICES were similar, with Creston's a tad bit deeper.

"Why of course he knows me," said Selstun, warmth in his voice. "He couldn't forget his own father now, could he?"

Lia thought Creston was acting strangely. The Yuke was standing rigid, and his feathered hands were trembling. He was staring straight at his father. Finally, her friend spoke.

"He…hello, father," he said, stuttering. This was completely unlike Creston.

"Why don't we go take a walk together, and catch up a bit?" suggested Selstun. Lia sensed a flash of panic from Creston, but it was so short, she wasn't sure it was real.

"Alright…," murmured Creston quietly. "Lia, tell the others I'll be back in a bit."

"R-right," said Lianora. She walked off, and cast one glance back at the backs of the father and son.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

Creston stood by his father, and finally cast a look at him. They were both standing on the deserted shoreline of Lake Shella.

"So? What do you want?" asked Creston, trying to not show his nervousness.

Selstun turned to face him. "Don't act like you don't know," said Selstun, his voice a great deal more cold. "You're going to come back and stay with me."

"No!" said Creston angrily. "I said I was staying with Tipa and I am!" But his response was cut off by his father's hand around his throat.

"Don't make me do something I'll regret to your friends," hissed Selstun.

"You wouldn't," gasped Creston.

"Try me," threatened Selstun. "I've missed my lab assistant."

"I am NOT your assistant," Creston managed to get out.

"No? You've helped me do a lot, haven't you, Creston?" stated his father. "But don't worry, when I discover a way to travel without a crystal, I'll give you some minor credit."

"I'm not helping you," said Creston.

"You don't have a choice," snarled Selstun. "I'm your father, and you WILL do as I say, or else I'll make you. And you know I'm very persuasive, don't you Creston."

Creston flinched as memories of beatings and verbal abuse came flooding to his mind.

"Your mother would be proud," said his father. Those five words caused Creston more pain then he could bear.

"Go now," said Selstun. "Go back to your stupid, little friends. But you won't stay away from me for long."

Creston walked away without a sound. Selstun smirked to himself in satisfaction.

"FIRA!"

Selstun whirled around and barely managed to dodge a blast of fire. With a furious growl, he launched a more powerful spell at Creston. Creston staggered, but managed to run off.

"Damn whelp," cursed Selstun. "I'll get him for that one day."

Creston ran on. He didn't look back.

**000000000000000000000**

When Creston made it back to the caravan, he found the others waiting for him.

"Creston! There you a- WHAT THE!?!?" Garrett's annoyed remark changed to a surprised yelp. Creston was rubbing a badly burnt arm.

"You're hurt!" gasped Star.

"Let me see," ordered Lia, examining his arm. After a minute or so, she muttered some words and healed his arm.

"What happened?" asked Ray, appalled and curious.

"An accident. Don't worry," said Creston calmly. But Lia suspected otherwise…

"Um…okay then," said Sam, rather confused. Soon they walked off and left the town of Shella behind.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Wow! Done…longer than I expected XD

Favorite parts: Garrett's LUUUUUUNCH moment, De Nam, and of course, FATHER AND SON, ROUND ONE.

I personally like this chapter. Plenty of development, a tad bit of humor here and there, but most of all, I think this chapter was deep and filled with cliffhangers. Particularly with Creston.

So we meet Creston's father, Selstun. Even the names are similar. Selstun is rather two-faced isn't he? Seemingly nice, and then a cold hearted jerk. You'll see more of him. And I bet a bunch of people are pissed about the whole "oh-ho it shall not be revealed yet."

For those anxious folks, just wait 'til Rebena Te Ra. ;D

I threw in De Nam. For the most part, only Ray and Mika will get his letters. And I'm gonna speed up his er…"research" a bit…so by the time they get to Conall Curach…they'll know…the secret…I am trying REALLY hard not to spoil the game and the story.

Anything else? Oh, next character chapter is Star. That's about it.

Next Chapter: As the caravanners travel on in their quest, relationships take a turn for the worst, as the caravanners argue and fight as they head down to the Jegon River. Can the relationships be mended?


	29. Tension Rising

FINALLY. ANOTHER CHAPTER BEING SET UP! HURRAH

So this is sort of a filler chapter of sorts. The caravan turns against each other on the way to the Jegon River so they can go to the Plains of Fum.

Note: Every character is gonna start being a jerk in this chapter (well, maybe not Star), so don't start hating a character. They're just all in a bad mood or something (although you could say Creston and Garrett start it)).

Other than that, not much going on. Currently, in the author area, the sahagin have been subdued. We are currently digging up ancient plotlines deep beneath the sands of Lynari Desert. With us, we have a couple of random, useless characters.

Orc King and Griffin #2: HEY!

Well then, I know why you're here, so lemme stop wasting your time…

**00000000000000000000**

A light drizzle was falling as the Tipa caravan made its way through the Vale of Alfitaria. They had left Veo Lu the day before. And well…things didn't look good.

The tension in the air was thicker than the miasma in the Rebena Plains. Apparently, Garrett had gotten in trouble for fighting in a restaurant in Shella, and currently had a nasty disposition, while Creston was distant from everyone. Ray and Mika were both quiet, but they kept glancing at each other. Sam didn't know what to do, and was eventually dragged into the somber mood of the crew.

Nieta was the one unfortunate enough to break the silence. "So…the Fields of Fum is where we're going next, right? That's in the Plains of Fum, isn't it?"

Silence. Creston jumped to answer first.

"Well, Nieta, it can't possibly be in the Plains of Fum," drawled Creston sarcastically. "The Fields of Fum are NOT named after the Plains, and it's a complete COINCIDENCE that they partially share the same name."

Nieta flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry, I-"

"No buts, and just forget it," said Creston coldly. "And before you ask something, THINK!"

Nieta remained silent, but Garrett looked over at Creston, his eyes challenging.

"What gives you the right to tell her what to do?" demanded the male Lilty hotly.

"It's anyone's right to tell someone to use common sense, which doesn't seem to be so common these days," snapped Creston.

"Look, I'm sorry but-," began Nieta.

"Stay out of it, Nieta," said Creston, still staring at Garrett.

"Don't you talk to her like that!" shouted Garrett. Star, who was currently steering the caravan along, made the papopamus pull to a stop.

"I'll talk however I want without your orders, grass-head," retorted Creston.

"Guys, come on-" said Lia.

"Both of you, cut it out," Mika said.

"Stay out of this, Mika, it's between me and HIM!" snarled Garrett.

"Hey, calm down, Garrett. Mika didn't do anything wrong," pointed out Ray.

"Neither did Nieta, and look what happened," responded Garrett, his face furious. "You're just sticking up for her because Selkies always stick together."

"Well, every tribe is loyal to each other," said Star, trying to appease Garrett. Ray gave the Lilty a strange look, torn between shock, aggravated, and confused.

"Clavats stick with Clavats, Yukes stick with Yukes, and Selkies stick with Selkies," said Sam.

"Selkies only stick together because no other tribe would have them. They'd fear for their belongings," muttered Creston under his breath venomously.

Nieta and Star gasped simultaneously. Ray's expression was shocked, but then his eyes narrowed to slits and he bared his teeth.

"You little racist, son of a BITCH!" he shouted, running toward Creston with his paddle. Sam reacted fast, restraining the angry Selkie.

"Mika, help me!" he said, looking for the more rational female Selkie. But then he caught sight of Star and Lia holding Mika back from leaping on Creston.

"Oh yes, gang up on me," said Creston, sniffing with disdain. "Isn't that cheating? But you ARE Selkies…cheating isn't far beneath you…if it's beneath you at all…"

"Cheating or not, I'll tie those feathery arms in a knot if you don't shut your trap," hissed Ray, eyes burning.

"You're not helping Creston!" shouted Sam angrily.

"Don't act like you're in charge, Sam!" yelled Garrett.

"Well, then why don't you lead us all!?" shouted Sam back.

"To our deaths," muttered Mika.

"Hey, Garrett would make a good leader!" countered Nieta.

"Everyone stop!" piped up Lianora, who had been quiet for a while.

"Oh, now Lia's in charge," snapped Garrett with sarcasm in his voice.

"This isn't going to solve anything," insisted the wise Yuke.

"No but weapons will," growled Mika. "Lemme go, Lia, and I'll end this pretty damn quickly."

"Not a chance," replied Lia. "Violence isn't the answer."

"Well, got any bright ideas?" snarled Garrett.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't easy!" said Lia, offended. "I'm only trying to help!"

"When we want help, we'll ask for it," said Nieta hotly.

Lia flinched as if she had been hit. "Because this is definitely the way to make things right: insulting each other and threatening to fight. Yes, Nieta, you are so VERY intelligent," shot back Lia, her patience thinning. "Let's all kill each other while we're at it."

"It's very tempting," snarled Creston, gaze still fixed on Garrett.

"Oh you damn, upright, son of a bitch," growled Garrett, fire dancing in his eyes. "You've had this coming for a while. I'm going to kick you're fucking-"

A hysterical voice rose among the chaos. "ENOUGH!"

Eight heads (Mog included) turned around and faced Star, who had left the front of the caravan. She was staring at them all in astonishment. Tears were streaked down her face, which seemed furious.

Furious. Star, gentle, kind, friendly Star, was angry beyond all belief. The thought was scary.

"I can't BELIEVE you're all acting this!" she shouted, her eyes blazing. "Are you all crazy!?"

Silence. Then Creston piped up. "You can't lecture us-"

"WATCH ME!" interrupted Star. Creston fell silent, dumbfounded. Nieta was trembling. Lia fiddled with her fingers.

"We're supposed to be working together, NOT AGAINST EACH OTHER!" screeched Star. "Didn't we learn from last time!?" She whirled and faced Nieta, who wilted under her gaze. Garrett's eyes were bulging out of his sockets in astonishment.

"We're supposed to be friends! How're we supposed to get the myrrh if we're not!?" hissed Star. She was enraged, furious, and sorrowful all at the same time. Angry tears still fell from her eyes.

"Don't you GET IT!?" yelled Star. "If we don't get together and retrieve the myrrh, everyone we care about will DIE!"

Guilt was etched on Mika's face. Ray looked away and shuffled his feet awkwardly. Sam was staring at Star in amazement and sorrow.

"WELL!?" she cried. She was met with complete silence. With an aggravated huff, she turned away and walked into the carriage.

Silence.

Ray broke it. "I-I'll take the first watch." Everyone else nodded vaguely.

**00000000000000000000000000000**

The next day, things were worse.

Sam had no idea what happened to them. They used to be friends. But now…

Garrett was fuming silently as they walked through the miasma stream, and had snapped at Lia when she attempted to say "good morning" to him. Lia herself had become withdrawn and quiet after the Lilty's harsh treatment. Nieta seemed to be quiet as well, and walked near Garrett, pointedly ignoring the others. Ray and Mika were further away than the others, walking close together, taking the other's words to heart and sticking together. They would occasionally cast glares at the lonely Creston, who walked by himself, who would either ignore them, or give them an insolent glance. Sam, meanwhile, sat at the helm, steering the caravan along, with Mog floating next to him, painfully aware how he could to nothing to mend the bond the caravan once shared. Worst of all was Star.

The female Clavat was walking far ahead of everyone else, refusing point-blank to talk to anyone, or even LOOK at anyone. Anger radiated from her entire body. She was SCARY.

The entire journey was carried out in silence.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

Eventually, they arrived in Marr's Pass. They all separated for a while, doing their own thing. Eventually, they all decided to stay at an inn that night. Sam thought that if they all stayed in the same room, they'd be fine.

He was wrong.

Creston refused point blank to sleep in the same room as anyone, and booked his own room for his own money. Garrett, although in a grouchy mood, agreed to let Nieta stay in his room. Mika and Ray also booked their own room, and they also took Mog with them, saying that the moogle didn't have to worry about racism in the Selkies room.

Sam and Star meanwhile shared a room. Due to the fact that there were no rooms left. Sam would rather stay in a room with the Orc King, Jack Moschet, and the Black Knight, than stay in a room with Star right now.

Sam felt a sweat drop fall.

**0000000000000000000000000000**

Lia was in trouble.

Creston had booked a single room. And everyone else was rooming with their own tribe. And no rooms were left open. This was a BIG problem.

"Oh god," she muttered to herself. "I don't want to sleep in the hall on the FLOOR! People will think I'm homeless!"

Sighing, knowing that she should at least TRY to bunk with someone, she knocked on Creston's door.

"Who is it?" came a wary voice from within.

"Lianora," the female Yuke replied.

"It's unlocked," said Creston. Lia didn't know whether or not this was an invitation to come in or not. She decided to go with the former.

Creston was currently setting down his supplies. "What is it?" he asked calmly.

"I-er…I don't have a room…and I was wondering if I could stay here…I'll sleep on the floor and everything…"

Creston looked at her. He wanted to help her. He really did. But if he let her stay…she could get involved with his problems. No, he'd be better off sleeping alone.

"I'm sorry…but I…I really need to be alone right now," he said, sighing heavily. "Forgive me."

Lia walked out of the room. "It…It is fine," she said simply. But deep down, her heart felt like it had just been stabbed.

She tried the Lilties next. Nieta was her best friend, after all. She knocked lightly.

Nieta opened the door. "Lia? What's wrong?"

"I was wondering if I could stay the night-" began Lia.

"No," came a firm voice from inside.

"Garrett…," said Nieta, her tone exasperated.

"I paid for a single room, and I already have you in here," came an annoyed reply. "There's no room, and besides, right now I'm feeling a little too loyal to my tribe. So the answer's no. And I paid for this damn room, so what I say goes.

Nieta cast Lia a sad look. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay, I understand," responded Lia. And she did.

It was either Clavats or Selkies. Normally she'd go with Star and Sam, but…Star was a bit frightening as of the current time. With that thought, she walked to the Selkies' room.

It was Ray who got the door. Lia searched his eyes for any anger or disgust, but she only found curiosity in those blue irises. Lia got the impression that the Selkie was smarter than he acted.

"Lia," he said simply, opening the door further. "What's up?"

"I don't have anywhere to stay for the night, and I was wondering if I could bunk with you two…"

Ray's cocked an eyebrow. "What about Creston?" he asked.

"He said no. Same with the Lilties."

"Oh, so you asked us last!" came Mika's accusing voice from within the room.

"Sweetheart, calm down," said Ray. "She came to us before the Clavats, so don't get your hair in a twist."

"I'm NOT your sweetheart," retorted Mika angrily.

Lia shuffled her feet anxiously. "Well, is it a yes?"

Ray gave her a stare. "You do realize, we're not gonna be prim and proper. Mika may throw a couple things, and we may act a bit rowdy. And we have no racial respects or graces."

Lia sighed. "Ray, after today, I'd rather we not have anything racial period."

Ray's eyes softened a tiny bit. "Come on in." he said, ushering inside. "Set up your bunk over here…"

**00000000000000000000**

Sam was lying in his bed. Star was doing the same a few feet away. Her back was turned to him. She hadn't said a word the entire night. Sam himself couldn't sleep. Guilt and sorrow was clawing at him, particularly his heart. He looked over at the female Clavat he was in love with.

Wait. Backtrack.

In love with?

He was in love with Star?

'Wow…I knew we were close but…," thought Sam. 'I'm in love with her. I really am…'

"Star?" he asked tentatively. "Are you awake?

"What is it?" came the frosty reply. Sam flinched.

"I just want to say…I'm sorry for what happened…I never wanted it to be like this," he said cautiously, choosing his words carefully.

Star rolled over and faced him. The look in her eyes made Sam feel even worse.

"Well it's done now," she said. "Not like it'll change anything…"She was about to close her eyes…

"I…you're right…but I'm sorry for what happened…and you're right…friends shouldn't fight like that…"

Star opened her eyes and stared into Sam's own. Star's thoughts began to race. And then she remembered all of the awful things she had said to the others.

She had been just as awful as them.

Star broke down. Tears started to rush out of her eyes. Sam was instantly by her side.

"Oh Sam…what have I done?" she whispered, face glistening. "Where did it all go wrong?"

"I-I don't know," he responded sadly. "But it will get better. You'll see."

"Are you sure?" asked Star. Sam pulled her into a warm embrace. Star felt her heartbeat speed up.

"I know it will be," he murmured softly into her ear. Still holding as tenderly as a child, that was how the two Clavats remained for most of the night.

**00000000000000000000000000**

Jack Moschet: That…was…so…BEAUTIFUL! *sobs*

*pushes him aside* Get out of here, you! So now, er…yeah

Favorite parts: Star's lovely speech, Ray helping Lia out, and Sam and Star.

Don't get any dirty ideas about the co-ed rooms, perverts. Creston's sleeping alone, Sam and Star are well…just hugging, Ray won't try anything while Lia's around, and Garrett's an idiot.

Every character is a jerk, but deep down they're all okay. I personally like Nieta, Sam, and Ray in this chapter. On the subject of Ray seeming smarter than he looks, I'd like to point out that NONE of the caravanners are "stupid" (not even Garrett). Garrett is much more smarter than Creston in physical weaponry and such, but Creston is smarter in magic. It's a BALANCE.

COUPLES ABOUND! Big Sam and Star chapter, although Lia and Creston and Mika and Ray are closing in a little. Sam finally realizes his true feelings! HUZZAH!

Well, other than that…not really much going on here. Next chapter isn't going to be long.

Next Chapter: After the enormous argument, the gang decides to try move on a little. They finally arrive in the Fields of Fum, and meet some interesting characters on the way.


	30. Aftermath

Well…here we are…AGAIN! *plays an organ*

Time for another chapter! This one's gonna be short. It shall consist of the following:

The gang trying to make amends.

The Jegon River

Gurdy.

AND THAT'S JUST ABOUT IT. With tiny snippets of arguing and romance, eh?

After this chapter though…we've got ACTION COMING! SELEPATION CAVE, BABY! WOO-HOO!

I'm running out of ways to start the show, so I'm just gonna be spontaneous now!

It's been forever since I've updated. I'm REALLY sorry…I've been busy with school and such, and more laptop issues.

Ah well. Either way, enjoy!

*clicks a button on a remote, and the chapter unfolds*

**000000000000000000000000000000**

Nieta yawned and stretched as she was the first one awake…again. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around. A small beam of sun was shining through the window, and Garrett was still currently sleeping, soft breaths and occasional mumbles escaping from his mouth. Nieta looked over at him fondly. When he was issuing death threats, he was kind of cute.

Wait. Garrett was NOT cute. He was brash, impulsive, easily angered, slow to forgive, rude, obnoxious, and battle-hungry.

And _cute_.

Not to mention he stood up for her in front of the others, and let her stay in his room. Nieta sighed. The last couple of days had been hard, what with the arguing and all. She felt as if every member of the caravan was having a war.

With a shake of her head, she began to prepare for the day.

**00000000000000000000**

Behind his bronze helm, Creston's eyes fluttered open. He looked around his empty room, until memories of yesterday found themselves planted in his head. He felt wracked with guilt, as he had been rude to everyone, particularly Lianora when she asked if she could stay with him. He scratched his neck.

He would have to apologize, and soon. This wasn't a good time for the caravan to argue.

**000000000000000000000**

Mika yawned and stretched, and scratched her back, as she glared at the shining sun from her window.

"Morning already?" she muttered.

"Morning, beautiful," came a familiar, aggravating voice.

Mika whirled around to see Ray, sly look and all, sitting cross-legged with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"You're up before me?" was Mika's response. Ray's smirk didn't falter.

"I can get up on time when I want," he said.

"Right…," said Mika, glancing at him. She noticed black bags under her companion's eyes.

"You didn't sleep much did you?" she asked casually.

"Did you?" he shot back, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I don't think anyone did," replied Mika coolly.

"Well, ya got me there," said Ray, before leaving the room to get breakfast. Mika tried to get to follow him, but had to crawl out of the jubilee of blankets on top of herself. Then she noticed.

Ray's dark blue blanket was over her body, while Ray's own cot only had a sheet on it. Mika stared at the comforter in her hands.

"Bastard…he's trying to get me in his debt…and that was a really sweet thing to do," she growled.

**0000000000000000000000000000**

Sam opened his eyes slowly. He yawned, and blinked a few times, his vision blurred. He opened his eyes completely and saw…

Star. Wrapped in his arms. Her arms around him. Sleeping peacefully. _In the same bed._

How many things could you find wrong with this picture? Sam was mortified, not only at the awkward position, but because Star was starting to stir. She opened her big eyes, and looked up at him squinting.

"Good morning Sam," she said sweetly, before burying her face into her pillow. Then she shot up quickly, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Sam!?" she shouted. "What the- why are we- and you- IN THE SAME BED!?"

"Star it's okay, it's okay," urged Sam, trying not to cause the others to hear. "We just both fell asleep in the same bed, no big deal okay? It wasn't anything…," Star looked straight into his eyes and he paused for a moment. "…personal," he finished.

"Alright, well…I'm going to go eat breakfast," stated Star. She got up and left the room.

"God she's beautiful," said Sam quietly to himself.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

To say breakfast was strained was an understatement, in Lia's opinion. Everyone ate in silence. Even Garrett and Ray had nothing to say. Tension was flooding the air, but so was guilt.

And so, still in silence, they left Marr's Pass, and headed to the west, towards the Jegon River.

Lia heard voices as she was walking, and then saw a group of five people talking on the side of the road.

"Everyone, look," she said, pointing and breaking the silence. Garrett, who was steering, pulled over.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"So you're saying that this is a model of the world?" asked a Yuke, staring at the brilliant object in front of him.

"Yes," said Gurdy, nodding. "It is of great value, both in science and gil."

"I must have it!" exclaimed Amidatty, the brilliant (yet somewhat eccentric) leader of the Shella caravan. "Good sir, how much does this item cost?"

"Hmmm…I'd say…around…10,000 gil," responded Gurdy, after thinking a moment.

"Uh…," said Amidatty, after checking the caravan's wallet. "We come up a little short…"

"Well, perhaps I can make an acception," said Gurdy. "How much do you have?"

"About 5,000 gil!" said Amidatty.

"Amidatty, that's all of our money-" Eleanor began.

Gurdy struck a thoughtful pose. Amidatty watched him on tenterhooks.

"I'll accept that offer!" declared Gurdy.

"Oh, thank the gods," said Amidatty. He handed Gurdy the money and reached out to take…

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"A loaf of bannock," said Mika incredulously.

They had all seen the event that had taken place. The item Amidatty just bought turned out to be an item that could be bought at Garrett's mill for one-hundredth of the price.

"You really shouldn't eavesdrop," said Gurdy reproachfully. "It's a very dirty thing to do."

"So is lying," responded Creston silkily. Gurdy winced. Sam and Star were both giving him shocked and disgusted looks, while Lia had her arms folded. Ray was cackling on the ground, clutching his ribs, and Garrett was attempting to hold in his laughter, shaking all over. Nieta gave the other Lilty a weird look. Mika gave Ray a swift kick to his no-no spot, and that shut him up.

"Well er…how about a poem?" asked Gurdy, changing the subject. He cleared his throat.

_Lonely mushroom bursts to flame  
In the land that quicksands claim._

"Now then…," said Gurdy. "Would you like to buy a model of the world?"

Garrett had to be restrained before he harmed the cowering Clavat.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

Eventually the group made it to the Jegon River. Apparently Garrett had received a letter from his dad saying that there was a man there that would take them across the river. And so they arrived at the river.

They saw a strange girl that was dressed like a Selkie, but her hair seemed like it had the Lilty's trademark tuft. They saw a couple of other random people, but not much else.

The river was rather large and clear, with a clear, shining crystal shining in the middle of it. And nearby stood a magnificent vessel, a large boat resting on the blue water. A short, somewhat grizzled Lilty was standing on the deck. His blue eyes looked over the caravanners as they approached.

"Ahoy there, lads and lassies," he said. Ray was about to make a pirate joke, but Mika, who foresaw his comment, shot out her hand and covered his mouth.

"Good day," greeted Star. "We would like to cross the river. Will you ferry us across?"

"Aye, of course, girl!" said the Lilty, grinning. "But you'll have to pay. But don't worry, it's only 50 gil per head. By the way, I'm Tristan the sailor."

Sam fished out 100 gil, and looked at Star. "I'll cover you," he said, smiling. Star smiled in return.

'_He's such a gentleman_,' she thought to herself dreamily.

Ray managed to sneak 50 gil out Sam's wallet when he wasn't looking.

Creston and Lia both paid for themselves, while Mika used her feminine wiles to get a discount. She only had to pay 25 gil.

Garrett searched his pockets. "Ah…shit…um…uh…," he mumbled to himself. Nieta glanced at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Garrett smacked his forehead. "I wasted all my money on that damn room…"

Nieta looked over at him, then looked at Tristan. She handed him 100 gil. "That's for me and my friend here."

Tristan looked at her and nodded. "Alright ma'am…," he said. Then he looked over at Garrett. "I thought it was the man's job to treat the lady?"

Garrett's face flushed. "What's that mean?"

"Well I mean, your girlfriend shouldn't have to buy things for you-"

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!" shouted Garrett. Nieta just giggled.

"Aye, then why are ya gettin' all flustered, lad? It's nothin' to be ashamed about!"

"Maybe he's ashamed that an old man knows more about girls than him."

"ARGH! SHUT UP CRESTON!"

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

Well there ya have it. An end to a pathetic chapter.

Favorite parts: GURDY, Sam's…situation, and Garrett's embarrassment at the end.

I've always liked Tristan. He seemed cool to me. XD And Princess Fiona makes a cameo. You'll catch her in there somewhere if you squint.

Not really much went on in this chapter. It was more developing chapter. Sort of like, uh…fluff. XD

More romance, and I REALLY tried not to overdo it. I mean…I don't want this to become like Twilight (NO OFFENSE TWILIGHT LOVERS) where romance blocks out everything else. If I'm starting to overdo it, PLEASE TELL ME!

Next Chapter: Things are starting to look up for the caravanners, as they move onto their next location. Selepation cave is long and large, and it's incredibly windy. When one caravanner gets lost, what will happen? (Anyone can guess on who will get lost. If you get it right, I'll answer any question you have. But only one).


	31. Harsh Winds: Losing a friend

Oh boy! Time for another chapter. Currently here we are hard at work doing nothing…except typing.

In this chapter, we begin Selepation Cave. And a certain caravanner gets lost (hint: it's the one that has no sense of direction). How will he/she survive?

Uh…not else going on here. Gigas and Lizardmen galore! There will be no recurring Gigas because they only appear in this level. :D I was going to give them Scottish accents, but I sadly decided against it.

So…*peels away this author note, revealing the story* Let's get on with it.

**000000000000000000000000**

Star looked around the area that they were in, wind blowing on her face, causing her hair to float with a peculiar sensation. "It's so beautiful," she murmured in awe.

Creston and Sam nodded in agreement. Selepation Cave certainly surprised them. It was incredibly large, and there was a light snow falling in the air. The ground itself was rocky and snow-covered. Old bridges were here and there, as were old elevator shafts. All in all, it was very serene, peaceful. There were only two things about Selepation Cave that weren't peaceful at all. One was the monsters. The other…

_Whoosh!_

"Whoa!" shouted Garrett, being swept off his feet by a particularly large gust of wind. He landed on his butt with a loud THUMP! Meanwhile, Mog, who was attached to a rope that was tied around Garrett's waist, was being blown by the wind, but could not be swept away from the gang (the ingenious idea came from Ray, who remarked on tying stolen goods to his body so they wouldn't fall off of his person.

They were all dressed in baggy clothing, except for Ray and Lia, who hadn't foreseen the cold. Creston had allowed Lia to snuggle up in his cloak whenever they weren't fighting. The other caravanners were huddling together for warmth…well except for a certain bickering duo.

"Come on Mika, it's stupid cold out here! Let me share with you!"

"Like hell! One minute you'll try to be in my cloak, the next you'll try to be in my pants!"

"…is that a bad thing?"

"YES!"

Sam sighed. "Ray, you'll just have to cope. You honestly should've brought more clothing."

Ray gave the Clavat a glare and muttered something under his breath.

Creston stiffened. "Trouble," he warned. The gang turned and looked over to where the Yuke pointed.

It was like a weird insect gallery. First there was a large black creature that looked like an enlarged version of a horned beetle. Its armor gleamed, and it had a set of sharp jaws. The next creature was a large yellow monster that floated in the air. It had long gangly arms, and deep red eyes. It was a killer bee. The final creature in this team was a jellyfish, which was not really an insect, but creepy crawly all the same.

"Let's roll!" shouted Garrett, rushing in, yanking poor Mog with him. The rest of the Tipa caravan followed him hastily.

The beetle entered the battle first, and its large horn moved against Garrett's spear. As the two weapons collided, the beetle pushed Garrett's spear out of the way and gored the Lilty with its horn.

"Gah!" shouted Garrett, which was followed by a stream of swearwords. He threw his spear furiously at the beetle. But the armor simply caused the spear to bounce off.

Mika was busy killing the jellyfish from afar. Two shots from her racket killed the electric monster, and it died quickly.

Ray and Sam were having trouble. The killer bee they were fighting seemed to take no damage whatsoever from their attacks.

"Why won't this thing die!?" asked Ray to Sam. Sam shrugged quickly, before ducking below an attack.

"You can't kill a bee without using gravity," explained Lia, dodging an attack from a beetle. "Here, give me space."

Lia charged up a gravity spell and aimed it at the bee. The insect managed to dodge, but Lia managed to hit it on the second try. It hit the ground hard and died instantly. Creston was charging up a spell for the remaining beetle. But as he cast it, it did no damage.

"That armor's magic resistant," he realized. "How're you supposed to kill the dratted thing?!"

Nieta ran forward, an idea coming to mind. As Star held off the monster from the front, she slid under the beetle. She used her spear and carved along the monster's stomach.

A loud screech of pain told her the strategy worked. Satisfied, she rolled out from under the beast just as it fell over. It rolled feebly on its stomach, which Star stabbed, finishing the fight.

"It just keeps getting easier, doesn't it?" remarked Mika sarcastically.

"Indeed," said Creston.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

As they advanced further into the cave they found one of the elevator shafts they had seen.

"Cool!" exclaimed Garrett. "Maybe we can use it to get further into the cave!"

"It's not unguarded," said Sam, pointing. There were three lizardmen there. One of them was twice the size of the other two.

"Sheesh, that thing is huge!" exclaimed Nieta. "I guess if there are larger goblins, there are larger lizardmen…"

"Bigger they are, the harder they fall," commented Lianora, firing a spell at one of the smaller lizardmen. It caught sight of the spell and managed to roll out of the way, hissing with fury.

"You dirty rassscalsss," it growled. "We'll ssshow you!"

"Lesss talk, more action…," snarled the large lizardman.

"Yesss, Sssnair," hissed the first reptile. All three of them ran forward. Creston and Lia acted quickly. Working together, they sent a large ball of fire at the three lizards. The poor creatures went flying over the edge.

"Idiotsss," muttered Ray. "Well, how about we make use of this elevator, eh?"

Everyone squeezed into the tight space, and the elevator began to rise. Sam began to hum a little to lighten the atmosphere. Garrett glared at him.

"We don't need uh…hmmm…what do you call it when someone hums in an elevator?" he asked.

"Elevator music?" suggested Mika.

"Yeah, that's good," said Garrett, nodding. "We don't need elevator music, Sam."

Sam looked a bit stung. "I'm sorry I just-" "ROOOOOOOAR!"

"Whoa Sam, calm down!" exclaimed Nieta, eyes wide.

"It wasn't me," said Sam, shrugging. Then they realized they were at the top of the elevator. And what made the noise.

It was a Gigas. It looked like a mini version of Jack Moschet, except that it wasn't dressed in fancy robes, and had a wilder appearance.

"Grrrr!" grunted the beast in a low voice. "Intruders, I see! Well then! Some more meat for me tonight!"

"Psssh," snorted Ray. "Eat the Lilties, they've got more meat on their bones."

"And then he'll use us for toothpicks," pointed out Creston.

"Actually, I'd just eat all of you," said the Gigas in a mild tone.

"You're not all that frightening," said Mika, arching a brow.

"Well, I try not to- I mean…HEY!" shouted the Gigas. "Don't play mind games with me!"

"If a mushroom falls down in Mushroom Forest, and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" asked Creston, chuckling.

The monster furrowed his brow. "Uh…I mean…"

"That's a cheap ass question," said Garrett critically.

"And an easy ass question too," said Ray.

"What's the answer?" asked Nieta, curious.

"Either way, the mushroom fell down," said Ray, rolling his eyes. "Why should it matter if someone heard it or not? It still happened, either way."

"Well I think-," began Lia. But she was silenced by a loud WHAM! The Yuke went sprawling across the snowy ground.

The Gigas shook his head, fist in the air. "I'm confused…that makes me angry…REALLY ANGRY! TO HECK WITH EATING YOU! I'LL JUST KILL YOU FOR THE HECK OF IT!"

He swung a fist at Garrett, but only struck a glancing blow. Garrett fought back with a flurry of swift stabs, while the Gigas retaliated with an icy gust of breath. The Lilty was frozen solid.

"Creston!" shouted Sam. "Unfreeze him!"

"Do I have to?" asked Creston. "This is so much of an improvement."

"Creston!" shouted Sam angrily.

"Okay, okay," said Creston quickly. He cast a clear spell on Garrett. Garrett glared at him.

"I heard every word," growled the short warrior.

"I was hoping you did, so I wouldn't have to repeat it," countered Creston coolly.

"Guys!" snarled Mika. "Quit arguing and pull your weight!" She dodged a blast of ice, and managed to knock the Gigas back with her weapon. The beast staggered backwards.

"Pests," he growled. "Stronger than I thought though. However, I'm not about to be defeated by the likes of- URRRRRGH!"

The monster looked down to see a point protruding from his stomach, dark blood pouring out. His red eyes widened before a loud groan escaped his throat. The Gigas fell to the cold ground, and didn't get up. Nieta pulled her spear out of the body, with an expression of disgust.

"Ew…monster blood," she said, pulling a face.

The eight of them moved on, and were eventually walking along an icy path.

"Be careful not to fall…you could sustain a concussion," warned Creston. "Don't worry Garrett you'll be fine with that thick skull of yours."

"LISTEN YOU!" snarled Garrett loudly, but Mika covered his mouth.

"Don't speak to loud!" said Nieta. "You may cause an-"

_Rumble!_

The ominous noise came from above, as rocks lodged in the sides of the cave came tumbling down. Rocks fell from the ceiling far above, too far to see, appearing out of the darkness and heading towards the Tipa caravan.

"Avalanche," finished Nieta quietly.

"Watch out!" Sam's shout was buried in the sounds of tumbling stones. The avalanche came cascading down, and continued to do so for well over a minute. Eventually, all the dust cleared, and the stones stopped falling.

Sam was standing with Star and Lia in the middle of four big boulders. Nieta and Creston were a ways away, shaking their heads. Over towards the edge of the ice path were Ray and Garrett, with Mog floating in the air near Garrett's head, his ears twitching from the noise.

"Okay guys," said Sam softly. "We need to be careful. We can't speak loud, and now there are cracks in the path. So step lightly, move slow, and do NOT slip! Understood?"

Seven heads nodded in response.

"Okay; let's go," said Sam.

Everyone started to move, with Creston and Nieta making it across to the entrance of a new section of the cave. Sam and Star made it next, with Lia trailing behind them. Things were going well. But then they saw it.

Garrett was moving cautiously along the path, with Ray right next to him. The Lilty was doing fine until…

"Whoa…whoa!" he yelped, losing his balance. His feet came out from under him, and he landed with a loud noise.

The other seven held their breath.

At molasses speed, Garrett made his way to his feet, smiling at the fact he hadn't fallen off or through the path. Sam breathed a relieved sigh. Nieta grinned at Garrett's success.

C-R-AAAAAAACK!

The noise came from over where the two remaining caravanners stood. But not from where Garrett had fallen.

"Shit!" yelled Ray, as the ice under his feet shattered. The shards of ice fell down below, taking Ray with them.

"No…," gasped Creston, his voice hoarse.

"RAY!" shouted Mika, her voice hysterical. Garrett's eyes were staring at where his best friend had just been a moment ago. He tried to form words, but couldn't manage it.

"Come on Garrett," whispered Lia sorrowfully. Garrett managed to make his way across the rest of the way.

"Well…we'll have to move on," said Sam heavily.

"What about Ray?" asked Nieta, trembling.

"There's nothing we can do for him now…," said Sam. "We'll have to find him later…"

"If he's still alive, that is…," said Creston bitterly.

"What do you mean!?" demanded Garrett, stunned. "He's gotta be alive."

"It's highly unlikely," said Lia, shaking her head sadly. "That fall was a big one. And if he survived, how will he stay alive without the chalice's protection? And then there are the monsters…"

Silence. Mika was thinking in her head.

'_Ray…you can't be dead…_'

**00000000000000000000000000000**

"Ah damnit," groaned Ray, rubbing his back. "That was some fall I had, hunh?"

He looked around, and found that he had (luckily) landed on a lower section of the cave.

"Ow!" he said, wincing suddenly. He had just felt a sharp pain in his entire body. "What the-"

Then realization hit him. "Ah…crap…I'm outside of the barrier, meaning miasma's gonna get to me…well…this is a problem."

He felt another pain, and decided to use a cure spell. He rubbed his head.

"My head hurts enough from the avalanche and fall," he moaned loudly. "How am I supposed to keep this up? Ugh…well it's a matter of life and death, Ray Zul, so you're just gonna have to stop moaning and do something about it-"

A sharp hiss came from behind him. Ray turned sharply to see an enormous lizardman, bigger than the one before. Its body was covered in scars.

"Oh, a challenger, eh?" asked Ray, smirking. "Bring it on!" '_Damn…I'm talking a big game, but I don't have a high chance of winning!_'

The lizardman charged at him, its sword colliding with his paddle. Ray ducked as the blade swung again, and gave the reptile a swift kick. It staggered backwards, groaning in pain.

"Take that, scales!" taunted Ray. He felt pain from the miasma. He healed himself with a striped apple this time.

"Okay the-" he got hit by the cutlass. Hard. Taking that, combined with the miasma, Ray felt exactly the same way he had felt before he healed himself.

"Damnit…can't let him hit me again…," said Ray. "What am I gonna do?" He racked his brain for ideas.

The sword swung again. Ray dodged to the side and shot two blasts at the lizardman. Was it possible he could win? The beast definitely seemed tired now.

Ray ran up to get a finishing blow. He dashed forward and swung his paddle.

And missed.

The furious lizardman grabbed the Selkie and slammed him against an icy column. Ray's paddle fell from his hand. The reptile's hand tightened around Ray's throat.

"Ugh…I'm not done yet," growled Ray. But then he felt it. The miasma. It had hit him again. And this time, he couldn't cure.

"So…this is it," gasped out Ray.

As the lizardman let out a victorious screech, Ray's body went limp.

**00000000000000000000000**

Egads! This was definitely one of my favorite chapters so far.

Favorite parts: The Gigas argument, the avalanche, and Ray's desperate battle.

Selepation Cave isn't my favorite level, but it is a very good one. Lots of different enemies and such.

Okay fine—I'll get to the part everyone's probably wondering. Ray? What happened to him, eh? He's left the crystal chalice's safety and got destroyed by the lizardman and miasma. Is he really gone? All I can say is, it doesn't look good.

I have another question- are my author's notes too long? Too annoying? I'm just really curious…someone tell me. XD

Next Chapter: Their number decreased by one, the caravan moves deeper into the cave to collect myrrh. But can the Tipa Caravan complete their mission without Ray's assistance? And what is the Selkie's fate?


	32. A grumpy Gigas and the Sahagin Swarm

New Chapter Time! This is Part 2 of Selepation Cave (NOT THE BOSS)

So yeah…this is gonna be a sort of angsty chapter…due to the last chapter. :P Sahagin and Cockatrices shall now appear. There will be three recurring sahagin. :P

In the lovely author's world, we are currently sailing across the ocean in Tristan's boat, having an epic battle with Selkie pirates. :D

But you didn't come to hear about that. You came for the story!

**00000000000000000000000000000**

The seven remaining caravanners moved on, their spirits low, as they advanced deeper into the cave. The loss of Ray had hit them all hard. Sam felt as if he had failed as a leader, while Garrett felt guilt that it was his own mishap that caused Ray to fall in the first place. Mika was oddly quiet, and felt strangely alone now that the other Selkie had gone. Everyone else just grieved silently.

They were walking along the inner area of the cave. There were many water puddles along the ground, as well as groups of stalagmites coming up from the earth. Creston glanced around at the area. It was quiet.

Way too quiet. Not an enemy had been seen, heard, or SMELLED. It was odd. And it worried him.

Then he heard it. _Splish._

Creston whipped around to face the water puddle, but found nothing there. Looking closely, however, he saw the water rippling so slightly, anyone could have mistaken it for remaining still. Nieta looked back at him.

"What is it Creston?" asked the Lilty. Creston shook his head.

"Nothing," he assured her. But he had his doubts…

There was something out there watching them. Keeping an eye on their every move. He heard it again.

_Splish._

He stopped and turned slowly, trying not to attract attention. Again, he saw nothing.

Or was it nothing? Willing the others to stop, he began to walk back in the direction they had come. The other six looked confused.

"What's he doing?" asked Garrett. Star shrugged.

Creston kneeled down to the ground, and felt around closely. It was wet, yet water was dripping from the ceiling, and none of them had splashed in the puddles. Looking even more closely, he saw strange splashes of water. They look as if they were…footprints. _But where had they came from?_ Creston's gear like brain was turning, as he thought quickly. And almost subconsciously, he glanced toward the puddles. Lia walked next to him, examining the peculiar water forms. Then she too gazed toward the pools. Then they heard a faint bubbling.

_This was it._

"Everyone, quick!" shouted the male Yuke. "Get away from the water!"

As he said this warning, green shapes shot out from beneath the water. About four in all. The creatures that emerged were very strange indeed. They were reptilian in appearance, but not in the same way the lizardmen had been. These creatures had long gangly arms and legs, each with fins on them, and long whiplash tails. They had gills on their necks, with ugly face bristling with sharp fish teeth and a crested fin on top.

"Well…well…," hissed one, its voice whispering and sibilant. "More caravanners coming into our beautiful home…"

"Well…dinner will be plentiful tonight!" rasped another. Without another word, they attacked.

Creston managed to cast a quick thunder spell on the first sahagin, stunning it, leaving Garrett to stab it. The Sahagin swiped its fin at him, but missed. Mika then ran up, and beat the creature down, killing it.

"Whose next?!" she snarled. The three sahagin exchanged glances.

"Let's get out of here!" they hissed together. "We'll remember this, Selkie girl!" And they ran off.

"Tch, cowards," she said, still angry. She grabbed the dead sahagin and dumped the body in the pool. The caravanners watched it sink, and eventually, they couldn't see the corpse as it sunk into the black depths below.

"How deep do you think it is?" asked Star uneasily.

"If I could make an educated guess, maybe 90 feet," said Creston thoughtfully. "So if you can't swim, don't fall in, because no one will be able to swim that deep.

The caravan had an uneasy laugh before moving on.

**0000000000000000000000000000000**

After a few more battles with sahagin, and a couple of thundara spells, the gang arrived at the waterfall.

"It's really rather nice if you ignore the threat of monsters attacking any minute," said Lia. Nieta nodded in agreement. Garrett rolled his eyes.

"We're not here to sight see," he growled. "If we were here for just that, this would've been a lot easier."

"He's right," said Star. "As nice as this area is, we're still in an area with miasma. We have to stay on our toes."

At those words, two sahagin burst from the waterfall, while another creature ran out of the shadows. The monster was bird-like, with green and purple feathers. It had a golden crested head, with dark eyes. It was a cockatrice. More sahagin began to appear from the water, following the original two.

"Shoot!" said Sam. "This is what happens when you stay still for too long!"

Everyone rushed into the fray. Garrett immediately stabbed a sahagin in the throat, and moved onto another one. Creston was casting spells as fast as he could, while Nieta covered him. Mika used her speed to pummel two of the aquatic creatures. Lia was moving quickly, using her staff to the best of her ability, while Sam and Star fought the cockatrice side by side. But no matter how many sahagin were killed, more seemed to appear.

Sam stabbed at the cockatrice, but it beat him back with its wing. Star jumped forward, but rolled backwards as the avian breathed a poisonous gas toward her.

"Shoot…how can we kill it if we can't get near it?" asked Star.

"I'll figure something out," answered Sam, thinking.

Garrett was holding off a sahagin with his spear, as another one leaped behind him. Mika shot it out of the sky with her staff, and it fell down. Garrett spun around, his spear taking off the heads of both monsters. He leaped next Mika.

"Tricky little buggers, aren't they?" she commented.

"Yeah…where are they all coming from?" asked Garrett.

"I don't know," called Creston from afar. "This isn't the sahagins' native habitat. They come from Conall Curach primarily. Sahagin enjoy water thick with miasma. Perfect for them to hide in."

"You think you're so smart about us!" growled a sahagin, running up to the Yuke. "We'll make short work of you. We have greater numbers."

"But we have greater strength," retorted Creston, firing a fira spell at the beast.

All the while, Lia had finally figured out just how these monsters were coming from.

"Someone cover me!" she shouted. Garrett ran over.

"You figured it out?" he asked, struggling with a particularly ferocious specimen.

Lia nodded. "It wasn't easy," she said. "But I've got it."

Garrett grinned, but then his smile turned into a grimace. The sahagin had moved under his guard and stabbed him with its tail.

"Garrett!" shrieked Lia.

"Forget about me!" snarled Garrett, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Cast the damn spell!"

Lia paused to think, and then focused her magic and then yelled out "BLIZZAGA!"

There was a great bluish flash, and Lia's target was frozen. But it wasn't a sahagin or any other monster. Lia had frozen the waterfall and the lake below. This way, no more sahagin could jump out.

"Alright, Lia!" shouted Mika, dodging an ice spell cast by a sahagin. She finished off her opponent.

The numbers of sahagin were thinning, and Sam had figured out the monster he and Star were facing. But just as he was about to strike a finishing blow, the cockatrice let out a yellow beam from its beak. Sam dodged, but Star had not seen it, and she was hit. Star couldn't feel her body, and as she looked down she saw it become consumed by stone.

"Star!" shouted Sam. But it was too late. Star had become petrified. Sam turned to the cockatrice, and angrily sliced it in two. Just then, Nieta stabbed the last sahagin.

"Let me see," ordered Creston. Sam moved, while Creston examined his stony friend.

"She'll be fine," he said. He cast a simple clear spell on her. Star's body returned to normal. She rubbed her head.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You were petrified," said Creston simply. "Everyone, come to me for a cure spell. Lia, help Garrett. That wound looks serious."

As everyone got healed, Sam, who was uninjured, stared at Creston. The Yuke was older than him by three years, more experienced, and smarter. Why wasn't he the leader? The way Creston took charge, confident and strong, made Sam think at the leader the Yuke could be if he wanted. Sam shook his head, thinking. If Creston had been the leader, not him, would they be a better team? Could he have stopped that fight? And would Ray still have been with them?

"Sam." Star's voice cut right into the Clavat's thoughts. He looked up quickly. "We're moving on. C'mon, let's go!"

Sam got up, and scratched his back. As he did so, a howling gust of wind battered the caravan.

"The wind is stronger," mused Lia aloud. "We must be getting closer."

**000000000000000000000000000000**

The caravan was met by another obstacle soon: A Gigas, a jellyfish, and another cockatrice.

"So, another group of caravanners after the tree, eh?" thought the Gigas aloud. "How'd you manage to slip by the other Gigas?"

"You mean the one that was outside, guarding the way in?" asked Creston. "Oh, he's dead."

"WHAT!?" roared the Gigas. "You rotten filth! That was my brother! Now you'll pay!"

Thus the battle began.

Sam aimed for the cockatrice, hating the wretched creatures for what they did to Star, but it dodged nimbly to one side and sent a poison cloud towards him. Sam caught some of it, and coughed.

Creston and Mika were both aiming for the jellyfish, but it kept avoiding their attacks as well. It sent a thunder blast at Nieta, who had been too busy dodging the cockatrice's petrifying beam. The Gigas aimed a vicious punch at the paralyzed Lilty, and sent her flying into a wall.

A loud crack was heard, and Nieta fell to the ground. She didn't get up.

"NO! NIETA!" snarled Garrett, trying to run to her. But a blast of fire flew past his head, stopping him.

"Garrett, calm down!" yelled Creston, arm extended. "We'll take care of her after! Focus on the fight!"

"But what if she's not okay!?" demanded Garrett. "You heard that crack! What if she's-"

"It won't matter if you die too!" shouted Creston. Garrett gave him a hot glare that truly showed the two's hostility towards each other.

"Garrett watch out!" shouted Lia, as the Gigas towered over him, taking a deep breath.

Roaring, Garrett turned around and stabbed the Gigas in the throat. Its deep breath was cut short by a gurgling noise, and as Garrett yanked his spear out of the wound, it fell to the ground. Still angry, Garrett ran up to the cockatrice, whacked it with his spear, and sent it flying over the edge of a cliff. Sam stared in shock.

"Oh my," whispered Star. Garrett wasn't done. With one quick motion, he hurled his spear at the floating jellyfish.

Direct hit. The spear sailed straight through the electric monster, and stuck itself in the stone wall around them.

"There, we're done," growled Garrett. He ran over to his fellow Lilty. "Now, c'mon, is she okay!?"

Lia was already there, checking the body. She was silent for a moment.

Star felt a sinking feeling in her chest. They had already lost Ray, they couldn't lose Nieta, too!

Lia then let out a relieved sigh. "She'll be fine. The crack you heard was her left arm. Good thing she's right handed, eh?"

"She…she's okay?" asked Sam uncertainly.

"That's a relief," said Creston.

"She'll be unconscious for a bit, I suppose," said Lia. "So I think we can wait for ten minutes before we enter through that doorway."

Everyone turned and looked. There was an enormous, worn down wooden door. It looked as if the wind had beaten it down. Creston looked at two strange wind chimes near it.

"What could these be for?" he asked. He poked one with a feathered finger. It made a small noise, and moved back and forth. He thought for a moment, hit the other one, and then hit both at the same time.

The door opened as if a key had been put into it. As it did, a large gust of wind came flying through, and knocked most of the caravanners backwards. Garrett fell off his feet, taking Mog (who was somehow still attached to the Lilty's stomach after all this time) with him.

As soon as Nieta came around, the caravanners headed in.

**00000000000000000000000000000000**

Woot! Done another chapter. I personally think this one was only average at best.

Favorite Parts: Sahagin swarm, and Garrett's rage (Number Two!).

Well…Nieta's fine. I enjoyed the suspenseful moment. Garrett and Creston have a brilliant relationship. Their rivalry is probably one of the top ten things I like in this entire story.

Other than that, not much. Nieta's just fine, I can't really do anything bad to her after what I did to Ray.

NO I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT RAY! YOU MUST WAIT! MUAHAHAHA!

Next Chapter: The Tipa caravan battles the giant cave worm. The source of the wind in the cave is a ferocious beast indeed. Will they be able to destroy it, bringing peace to the quiet cave? And if they do, what then?

Sam: I've been sent to ask for a review again. So…yeah uh…please review.


	33. Miasma Tolerance

Well, for once I'm starting the chapter normally…

LIKE HECK! Why would I do that? That would just suck. :P

So the only real thing in this chapter is the Cave Worm fight, and some character development. Nothing more, nothing less.

But I get the feeling this'll be a pretty good chapter. :D So why waste time talking about it? *distant explosion*

Not that I can wait any longer anyway, right? *runs off*

**000000000000000000000000000**

Star's hair was being blown harshly by the wind as they entered the deepest chamber within the cave. She looked around. It was a very wide section, with long walls, and a somewhat low ceiling. Two jellyfish were simply drifting along through the air slowly.

Creston stood very still. "We've got company," he noted. Everyone adjusted their attention to what Creston had seen.

Over at the other end of the cavern, blocking the only other way out, was a very peculiar being. It seemed to be a large fleshy creature, with golden armor around its body. Its many legs were short and stubby. As if someone had flicked a switch, the monster came to life, its gold armor moving to reveal a wide gaping mouth lined with sharp teeth…really sharp teeth. The monster drew in a shuddering breath and breathed out. An enormous gust of wind hit the caravanners, with most of them struggling to hold their ground.

"What is that thing?" asked Nieta.

"A cave worm," explained Lianora. "A very rare creature. They enjoy the cold, and use their powers of breath to blow wind and make the temperature colder. They are known to enjoy eating anything they can get their teeth on, but they have a strong preference for our tribes. They use their deep breathing to draw in their prey because they are not very mobile."

"The girl's a walking encyclopedia," muttered Garrett. But his comment was interrupted by a loud sound. The cave worm seemed to breathing in, its body convulsing and shuddering as it took in a huge gulp of hair. The caravanners struggled to stand their ground (and a couple of them fell over). Suddenly the cave worm stopped taking in air. The next moment, it let out a huge gust of wind from its mouth that sent every caravanner sprawling across the cave floor.

"Ow…," moaned Star, gripping her head. "That was unexpected."

"So THIS is the thing that's been causing all the wind on this mountain!" exclaimed Lia. "Wow…it is a rather awesome creature, isn't it?"

"They say that all winds come from Selepation Cave," said Creston. "If that myth is indeed true, then we're facing the creator of wind itself. Brace yourselves."

The Cave Worm let out a challenging screech. The fight was on.

Garrett was the first to move. Slashing at a jellyfish in his way, he charged at the Cave Worm, swinging his spear in a wide arc. The Cave Worm made no move to defend itself, but roared in pain at being hit. Nieta moved forward too, but was shocked by the jellyfish Garrett had attacked. Creston cast clear on her, and Lia shot a fire spell at the jellyfish, while Mika took out the other with a shot from her racket.

The Cave Worm screeched again, and then started to move back and forth, flailing wildly. The walls around it crumbled and debris fell from the roof of the cavern. Garrett and Nieta tried to move back out of the way, but the Cave Worm sucked in a great breath, and pulled them back towards the falling rocks. Both Lilties were buried in stone.

"Garrett! Nieta!" shouted Sam, running forward. Charging at the Cave Worm, he stabbed its fleshy body furiously, while Creston backed him up with a fire spell. The beast was successfully distracted. Sam began to shift boulders.

Garrett's head emerged. He was carrying a rock on his back, with Nieta under him, helping him hold it up.

"We're okay," he assured the Clavat, grunting with effort. "We're not gonna be crushed that easily."

With a deep breath, he chucked the rock away. Luckily, it hit the Cave Worm, stunning it for a moment. Sam, Nieta, and Garrett took this time to get some distance from the boss. As the boss shook off the blow from the rock, it launched a large ball of energy at the three retreating caravanners. Nieta managed to avoid the blast, but Garrett and Sam were knocked off their feet.

As Sam struggled to get up, he found himself aggravated at feeling the familiar effects of a slow spell.

Mika and Star dashed in, to give Creston and Nieta time to get Sam and Garrett out of the fray. The Cave Worm reared back, and let out a large blast of a sandy brown gas. It moved back and forth, sending a large spray towards Mika and Star. Star managed to roll under it, while Mika hopped over it, shooting two shots at the Cave Worm.

Hardly fazed, the Cave Worm shot a slow ball at Mika, but Mika avoided the attack. Star was busy slashing at the beast, but the Cave Worm simply shook its body again, knocking Star away, shooting another sandy stream at Star, knocking her back. Lia sent a Blizzard spell towards the Cave Worm, but it had no effect.

"What IS this thing?" asked Creston, healing the wounded Star. "Such a mighty defense…"

"I can't believe this thing is so strong," muttered Sam, panting.

"Well, defense or not, I'll tear it apart!" roared Garrett. Charging again, he brutally struck the Cave Worm, only to be knocked back by the brown gas.

This gave Mika an opening, however. She ran forward, striking the Cave Worm with ranged shots, while Lia used Thunder and Fire spells from afar. The Cave Worm, starting to grow extremely agitated, sent a flurry of slow balls at Lia, causing the Yuke to have to shift positions. One attack managed to hit her, slowing Lianora down.

Mika, however, was taking care of the problem. She was out of range of the Cave Worm's attack, and she could easily dodge his slow balls and sand attacks.

The Cave Worm was not going to be slain that easily, however. Lia had forgotten to mention Cave Worm's were notoriously tricky, especially when it came to food. They were also greedy, willing to fight until the death for a good meal.

The Cave Worm sucked in a great breath, drawing Mika closer. Mika tensed up, ready to dodge and land a few hard blows. But then the unexpected happened.

The Cave Worm jumped up in the air, and fell to the ground, causing a large shockwave to ripple throughout the chamber. Rocks and pebbles fell from the ceiling. Mika coughed up blood, and was paralyzed from the hit.

"Mika!" shouted Creston. "Get out of there!"

But she couldn't move. The Cave Worm took in a deep breath and sucked her closer. Creston tried to run forward, Nieta behind him.

"We've got to make it in time!" the Lilty said.

The Cave Worm rose into the air. As it started to plummet down, Mika's eyes widened in panic. But then she heard something…

_Swish!_

BOOM!

The second fall was harder than the first. But luckily, Mika hadn't been crushed.

Creston raised his arm as dust flew up all around him. Nieta was covering her eyes from the flying stones.

"What happened!?" she asked.

"I saw something move her at the last minute," said Creston. "At least I think I did…"

As the dust settled, the Cave Worm sent a slow ball towards Garrett, who rolled out of the way.

Mika opened her eyes, still hearing the roars of the Cave Worm in the background. She was okay? But then…who had saved her. She glanced around and saw a hand over hers, pinning her down so she wouldn't get sucked in by the Cave Worm. It looked like a male hand.

"Phew…thanks Sam," gasped Mika in relief. "I owe you one…you came in the nick of time…guys I'm fine!"

But as she saw her friends, Creston, Nieta, and Star were staring at her as if they had seen a ghost.

"Why are they acting so strangely…Sam?" asked Mika questioningly.

"Well, not that I'm offended or anything, but the thing is…I'm not Sam," came a familiar cocky voice.

Mika looked up so quickly, she almost sprained her neck. And staring down at her, as alive as she was, was Ray.

"RAY!?" she yelled. "How in the-!?"

"Later," he said, pulling her up. "In case you haven't noticed, we've got a cranky monster to deal with."

The two Selkies rushed back into the heat of battle. The Cave Worm was starting to slow down and become disorientated, but was still a formidable foe. Star and Nieta both got in a few good blows before being knocked back. Creston and Sam were both knocked back by a jump shockwave. This thing wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Go on Mika!" said Ray. "Get him. I'll cover you!"

Mika ran forward, while Ray and Lia fired shots from afar to occupy the giant Worm. The Cave Worm was panting loudly, and couldn't even manage to suck in the caravanners anymore. Mika aimed her racket.

"This is for trying to crush me, you son of a bitch!" she shouted, aiming a shot straight at the wind monster. The aura blast flew through the air, and disappeared in the Cave Worm's gaping mouth. The Cave Worm tried to suck it down, but it got caught in the beast's throat. The Cave Worm began to gag and its throat convulsed. It shuddered and jerked, but could not dislodge the projectile from its throat. Finally, after one last wriggle, the Cave Worm fell over, its rasping, desperate breaths stopping.

"It's gonna blow!" shouted Garrett, face pale. Every caravanner hastily retreated from the dying worm. The monster exploded into green plasma goo, and dissolved quietly, without another movement.

Ray wiped his brow. He turned to face the remaining six caravanners. "Well, that was fun, eh?" he asked. Everyone just stared at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Silence. Then Garrett cracked a grin.

"You idiot!" he yelled, running towards his friend. "You're okay!"

Ray soon found himself in a huge group hug.

**000000000000000000000000000000000**

"So how the heck did you survive?" asked Garrett.

Ray sighed. After they had gotten the myrrh, he had known they would've asked this question.

"Well…after I fell I met a lizardman, we fought, and then…"

**000000000000000FLASHBACK0000000000000000000**

_The furious lizardman grabbed the Selkie and slammed him against an icy column. Ray's paddle fell from his hand. The reptile's hand tightened around Ray's throat._

"_Ugh…I'm not done yet," growled Ray. But then he felt it. The miasma. It had hit him again. And this time, he couldn't cure._

"_So…this is it," gasped out Ray._

_As the lizardman let out a victorious screech, Ray's body went limp._

_But then, the lizardman's eyes widened. With a gurgling cry, it fell over, becoming as limp as Ray had been._

_Ray stood over the body, looking down in shock. Then he looked at his hand. He wiggled his fingers. Then he pinched himself._

"_Yup…I'm alive…," said Ray aloud, astonished. He moved his body a little. Then he flopped down on the ground._

"_Ugh…thank god for that Phoenix Down…but I'm not in an eager hurry to do THAT again," he muttered. Then he let out a small gasp. Another twinge of pain had hit him._

"_Guess I'm not completely immune to the stinkin' miasma," he said, coughing. But it hadn't hurt as much as before. And it had definitely taken longer to affect him._

"_Hmmm…this may be what De Nam was talking about," murmured Ray._

_Then he set out to try and find his friends._

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"So how'd you track us down?" asked Creston.

"Lucky guess," said Ray, shrugging. "I didn't meet any monsters, so I was thinking you guys killed them all."

"But how did you survive?" asked Star. "You couldn't have had enough food and enough strength to cast repeated cure spells!"

"Miasma tolerance," answered Ray.

"What?" asked Lia. "I've never heard of that."

Ray looked over at Mika and Creston. "But I bet you two have."

Mika nodded, but Creston seemed silent. "You'd better explain," the Yuke said.

"Well…say you spend a minute outside of the crystal's barrier, exposed to miasma," explained Ray. "If you kept at it, eventually you could stay outside the barrier for two minutes."

"So you can stay alive longer without the crystal's protection," observed Sam. Ray nodded.

"Out of all of us, I've spent the most time outside of the crystal's barrier," he continued. "So I can live for a longer time in miasma than all of you."

"How the heck did you find out about all this?" asked Mika.

Ray responded by holding up a letter. He handed it to Mika.

"From De Nam," she whispered. "He's been sending you letters?"

"Not like anyone else will," said Ray, scratching his head.

"We'll talk more about this later," said Sam. "C'mon, let's get out of here..."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Whee. Done. Hurrah

Favorite parts: Ray's return, definitely

Go Cave Worm. I always hated that boss. So much HP and defense, so I tried to make the battle last a long time.

Ray is baaaaaaack! As for the miasma tolerance, that will come in more later *cough*cough*Conall*cough*Curach*cough*cough*

Well uh…not really anything else to say about this chapter. So uh…yeah…

Next Chapter: The gang decides to relax at the Fields of Fum. But when someone from Star's past comes out of nowhere, what will she do?


	34. Rex

Behold the glory of the new chapter!

I'm starting to overdo it.

Alright, in this chapter, the gang rests at the Fields of Fum. And this is Star's character chapter! And she meets someone who she hasn't seen for years. Oh boy.

Note: This is sort of a strange chapter, as it connects things in the game that were never revealed, and also has things that never actually happened in the game (for example- the "apple thief" is revealed, even though it was never found out in the game).

Well…uh…other than that I mean, I haven't got much. This is a long chapter.

And one more thing: COW RACES :D

Okay, I'll start the chapter.

* * *

Star's face was lit with a radiant smile. "It's so lovely," she said. Sam, who stood next to her, agreed.

The Fields of Fum were grassy and plain, not complex like Alfitaria, mysterious like Shella, or bustling like Marr's Pass. The place was almost as calm as Tipa, if not calmer. Farmer's went about their work leisurely, and kids ran around happily.

Nieta looked around appreciatively. Garrett just huffed quietly. He wasn't one for small places. He preferred life on the road over anything. Creston seemed very relaxed, and calmer than he had been in a while. Ray and Mika were also looking around, their sharp eyes picking out the best places for a little "borrowing".

"I'll just go get supplies," muttered Garrett, trying to find something to do. He wasn't interested in crops and cows. Lia walked after him.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked. Garrett just shrugged.

"Wonder why she's going with him?" asked Mika thoughtfully. "Little sprout head and Lia never really that buddy-buddy."

Nieta suddenly blushed, and started to walk away, but Mika caught her.

"Oh…wait a minute…you put her up to it, didn't you?" asked Mika, grinning. Nieta looked away.

"Aw, that's so sweet," said Star. "So romantic…"

"I know!" said Ray, in a false gushy tone. Mika was going to hit him, but Star beat her to it, smacking him upside the head.

"Don't mock love!" Star scolded. Ray gave her a reproachful look. "It's one of the most powerful things in the world."

"So is the stench of a dead orc, but I'm allowed to make comments on that," growled Ray under his breath. "Anyways, I'm gonna go loiter around…get yelled at for something…"

Ray marched off. Mika sighed, going after him, muttering something about "making sure he didn't get arrested."

Creston had already left, but Sam was around. Star grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on, let's go!" she shouted, dragging a laughing Sam behind her.

* * *

Ray wiped a tear from is eye. "I have found heaven at last," he whispered dramatically. Mika smacked her forehead.

The two Selkies were standing in a large grove of striped apple trees. Ray was beside himself with glee. Mika wondered if striped apples were Ray's equivalent of alcohol. Ray stood up, grinning, and reached out to take one.

"Stop, thief!"

Ray and Mika whirled around to see a little girl running towards them, a young boy of around the same age trailing right after her.

Ray smiled kindly. "Hey there, little girl. What's going on-"

"Take this, thief!" shouted the girl, swinging her leg up. Just like many times before, Ray let out a short cry, and dropped to his knees.

Mika raised an eyebrow. "Does everything gravitate toward your crotch or something?" she asked, as some adults ran over.

…

"Oh, so it was a big misunderstanding," said a young woman. Mika nodded. Apparently, there had been an apple thief living in the Fields of Fum, and all the children and adults were trying to capture him. Ray had been mistaken as the thief, and suffered the consequences, much to his displeasure.

"Yeah, he was just looking," lied Mika. It wouldn't be smart to tell them we was going to swipe an apple…or 50.

"Apologize at once!" yelled the mother.

"We're sorry," said the two children simultaneously.

"It's okay," assured Ray in a somewhat high voice. The two kids ran off. Their mother followed them.

Mika kicked Ray softly. "Come on, up and at 'em. Let's go look at some other stuff."

* * *

"Darn it…I wish I had more money," said Star, looking crestfallen. She and Sam had found a cow salesman who was offering to sell them a cow for 500g. But Star had already gone shopping a few times, and now she couldn't afford it. She was sad and a bit aggravated with herself- she should've been more wise with her money, and be able to buy a nice gift for her family.

Sam looked over at her, seeing her downcast expression. He pulled out his wallet.

"Sure, we'll take one," he said, fishing his money out. Star glanced at him in astonishment.

"But…Sam, no, you don't have to…," protested the Clavat girl, but Sam shook his head.

"It's no trouble at all. I mean, if it makes you happy, than I'm happy," he said, giving her a smile. The kind of smile that made Star melt.

From far off, Garrett, Lia, and Nieta (who had somehow "found them") watched the purchasing of the cow.

"Well, how do ya like that?" said Garrett, sipping his water. "The noble prince helps the lady fair." He spat on the ground.

Nieta gave him a weird look. "Is there something wrong with that?" she asked.

"Nah…just never figured Sam had that kind of money to throw around for Star," said Garrett, shrugging.

"He probably doesn't," noted Lia. "I saw him writing to his parents, asking them if they could send him a little more money. Spending all of his money on Star…he truly cares for her."

"Yeah…lovebirds…," muttered Garrett. "I just hope they don't start getting all cutesy and run around holding hands while we're battling monsters and crap."

"You don't seem to be very fond of relationships," observed Nieta sharply.

Garrett snorted. "You have no idea, Nieta…," he said. Then he lowered his voice so only he would hear it. "You have no idea."

* * *

"AND NOW EVERYONE, IT'S TIME FOR THE COW RACE!" shouted the Clavat, as he lined up all the cows. Ray and Mika stood by him, placing their bets.

"Cow #7 is gonna totally mop the floor with your cow," said Ray, a challenging glint in his eye.

"Only if he can keep up with Cow #2," counted Mika, smirking.

"On your mark…get set…GO!" shouted the announcer.

_**((Author's Note: In order to save you from boredom, I will skip the agonizingly long race))**_

Later, at the end, all the cows were on the home stretch. Ray's cow was in the lead, with Mika's trailing close behind.

"Go baby, go!" shouted Ray, a slightly mad look on his face.

"Come on, girl, get moving!" screamed Mika. Suddenly her cow stopped, and started to graze on some grass.

"No, no, no!" shouted Mika, stamping her feet.

"Woo hoo!" yelled Ray, laughing. But then his cow stopped too.

"Wait…what!?" he asked. "That's not supposed to happen! Don't stop!"

_DING!_

"And the winner is Cow #5!" announced the farmer. "So all who bet on Cow #5…wait there's only one person…COME ON UP HERE!"

As the crowd parted, Mika and Ray looked for the winner.

"Wonder who the lucky guy is," said Mika. Then she gasped.

"What!?" she yelled. Ray looked around, and saw it. His jaw dropped. A Yuke was making its way toward the announcer.

_Creston!?_

Ray and Mika pushed through the crowds, trying to get to the Yuke. Creston? Gambling? And WINNING? There were many things not right with that statement.

Creston spotted them coming toward him. He tensed up.

"Oh boy," he said, taking his money. Then he started to run as fast as he could.

"CRESTON!" shouted both Selkies.

* * *

Star walked through a small orchard of apples and cherries, admiring the beautiful scenery around her.

She was so happy. She felt lighter than air. Was it because she loved it here? That Sam had bought the cow for her? Maybe it was just Sam?

Sam. That was the source of this happy feeling. Star loved everything about him. He was handsome, but not too handsome, and had the nicest brown hair. She loved how thoughtful, warm, and kind he was to herself and everyone else. Star sighed.

"Oh Sam…I wish I could tell you how I feel…," she said wistfully.

But as she was in this happy dream, a voice cut through it, shattering the joy easily.

"Hello Star."

Star immediately stiffened. Her eyes widened in shock. She knew that voice. It had changed a little, but it was still almost exactly the same as it was years ago.

Star's expression changed. Her eyes, which were joyful and loving, had become ice cold. Her face became stony, her mouth set into a firm line. Slowly, she turned around.

There, sitting on a stump, was a Clavat, but at a first glance, this person seemed so unlike a Clavat that it was astonishing. It was a man, who was taller than Sam, and probably around the same height as Ray or Creston. His hair was blackish brown, and it was longer than a normal Clavat's hair, bangs drooping in his eyes and hair falling on his shoulders messily. It seems as though he had cut it himself. He was dressed in a brown and black jacket worn down by age, but it would have looked very fancy and expensive years ago. His pants were gray and also looked rough and worn. His face was the real shocking feature, however. Instead of the earthy brown eyes most Clavats possessed, his eyes were emerald green. His skin was a tad bit paler than most Clavats, but was still a light tan. He had on an expression of unrivaled cunning and cleverness, and wore a smirk on his features that could have rivaled Ray's.

Star stood her ground, even though an eerie feeling had washed over her. "What do you want, Rex?" she asked calmly.

Rex's smirk grew, as he stood up. He walked a little closer to her. Star took a step back.

"What?" he asked. "Not happy to see me?"

"I hate to disappoint you, but no, I'm not," said Star, her voice as harsh and cold as the winds of Selepation Cave.

"Well, sheesh…," said Rex, scratching his head. "Look at you, all grown up. What're you doing here?"

"I'm in the Tipa Caravan," she responded, giving him a piercing look. Rex's smirk faltered a little, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Hunt for myrrh going well?" he asked casually, but hit Star like a punch from a Gigas.

"That shouldn't concern you," Star replied, still giving him an icy stare.

"Well then…how are the parents?" asked Rex, still in the same casual tone.

"Why do you care?" came Star's response.

"Why do I care?" asked Rex. He then let out a bark of laughter. His laugh was scratchy, as if he had been laughing a lot lately. "They're my parents too, Star."

"They'll never truly be your parents, brother," retorted Star, her icy look replaced by a fiery one.

Rex's smirk changed to a grin. "Why so angry? Did I do something to upset you?"

"You did something that upset our parents and our village for years!" shouted Star. "Do you even REALIZE what you did?"

"I just did what needed to be done. I didn't see anything wrong with it," responded Rex snidely.

Star was about to launch out another retort, when another voice broke the silence.

"Star, I-," said Sam running out into the grove. "Oh…uh…am I interrupting something?" he asked.

The rest of the caravan followed behind him. As they all stopped to a halt, most of them stared curiously at Rex. But Creston let out a shocked gasp, and Ray's expression immediately darkened to a scowl.

"Who's this?" asked Nieta.

"Someone who I never thought I'd see again," said Creston.

"Rex…," growled Ray, eyes flashing.

"My brother," said Star quietly.

Sam felt the jealousy in his body die down. Wait, jealousy? He shouldn't be jealous…but it had honestly looked like…

Rex gave Sam and each caravanner a once-over. His eyes strayed back to Sam.

"Who's this?" he asked. "You're boyfriend?"

Star and Sam both blushed, but Star recovered first. "Does it matter?"

"I'm just seeing what my sister's been up to."

"Don't pretend like you care about my welfare, you never have and never will!" shouted Star furiously. She didn't care that they weren't alone, she didn't care that everyone was watching. She wished she had never found him.

"I guess I'll be the first one to question this," said Lia uncertainly. "What is going on here?"

"Let's just say this isn't your typical brother and sister reunion," said Creston.

"And that Star is the younger sister of the biggest scumbag to have ever came from the Tipa Peninsula," muttered Ray, his hot glare staying.

Meanwhile, footsteps could be heard all around. Residents of the town had been attracted by the shouting, and showed up to see what was all the ruckus. Everyone was muttering in confusion.

Suddenly, a young woman pointed at Rex. "That's him! That's the apple thief!" she cried.

Exclamations filled the forest.

"What? Him? Thief! Get him! Rotten little- robber!"

Rex stared at the citizens that were slowly forming into a mob.

"Everyone quiet down!" shouted Creston. The growing chatter subsided.

"Creston, explain to the others what happened," said Ray.

"No…I'll do it…," said Star softly. Then she began to speak.

"A couple years ago, around 10 probably, things were going well for all of the caravans…no arguments, no fighting…all was well. Every caravan had just enough myrrh to get by."

"But everyone wondered how it was possible. And the Tipa caravan wondered most of all. It was them who always received their myrrh later than everyone else, right up to the very day before the crystal would run out of power."

"The people wondered and wondered, but no one could explain it. But then, suddenly…a caravan revealed the tale."

"It so happened that there was an underground black market going around. It involved a caravan going around, and taking myrrh from all the trees, before any other caravan could get there. This caravan was so quick and efficient, the other caravans could not refill their chalices."

"The other caravans were forced to act in order to save their villagers from being consumed by the miasma. They begged the caravan to share their myrrh. They offered anything, anything at all, to save the lives of their peoples. And this certain caravan would always give them the myrrh…after taking an extremely large amount of money."

Gasps were heard from all around, as people were shocked. This explained the depression that had occurred all those years ago.

"Is this true?" asked one villager, to the Fum caravan. The caravanners bowed their heads.

"It is. We had no other choice."

Angry yells started to emerge, but Creston waved his hand, and silenced the crowd again. Star continued.

"This caravan would get more and more money, selling myrrh, but also getting enough, just enough, to save their own village. But soon, the truth came out. And along with it, the culprit."

"The caravan was the Tipa caravan, and the ringleader of this dark trade was Rex! The man you see standing here."

This time, no shouts or cries were heard. The crowd was shocked into silence.

"One caravanner returned home during the festival, and told Roland the events that had occurred. This caravanner had found out when he eavesdropped on a conversation between Rex and another caravanner. Rex broke this person's legs and dumped them outside of the barrier. They were consumed by miasma and died, and in the following morning, Rex had said that they must've went to the bathroom and been attacked. But he had been found out."

"The village of Tipa was astonished, amazed by the darkness and greediness of these acts. My father was enraged. Our farm had become successful on tainted money. Rex had been tactful enough to send us small fortunes, to cover his greedy tracks."

"My father disowned him, but before Rex left the village, he asked Rex one question: Was he any bit sorry for what he had done, and had he shown any sorrow or remorse?"

"I still remember Rex's response. He responded with his own question: 'I shared the money, right?'"

Star seemed to regain her composure, and returned to giving Rex her hard stare. Rex seemed unfazed.

"How do you two know this?" asked Mika to Ray and Creston.

"We both grew up in Tipa," explained Ray. "You and Lia moved here after it happened. Sam I think was on a trip with his family at the time."

The silence stretched out for even longer. Then Rex broke it.

"You forgot one little detail, my dear Star," he said, a dry chuckle coming out of his mouth. "How did I get such an ingenious idea?"

Star stiffened, and for the first time, fear and guilt washed on her face.

"That's right…you remember don't you?" crooned Rex in a ghastly tone. "You gave it to me."

Everyone gasped, even Ray and Creston. They hadn't heard _this _side of the tale.

"Star, what does he mean?" asked Nieta. Star shuddered as the memory fell on her.

**0000000000000000000FLASHBACK000000000000000**

"_Brother."_

_Rex turned to face his younger sister, his emerald eyes narrowed. He had been counting just how much money his parents had given him for the road…not much._

"_What is it?" he asked, in a soft voice. This voice was a very winning tone: he could often get Star to do chores for him by talking to her in his sweet voice. Rex could sweet talk just about anyone._

"_What's it like on the road?" asked Star._

_Rex sighed. "I don't know Star, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll right to you and tell you, okay?"_

"_Okay," said Star. Rex thought she would leave, but…_

"_What do you have to do out there? Ma and Dad never tell me," said Star._

"_Well, we get myrrh to bring back to the villages, but we fight monsters to get to it," explained Rex, packing._

"_Why do we need myrrh?"_

"_To give to our crystal to protect us from miasma," stated Rex. He foresaw her next question. "Because miasma is bad."_

"_Why do we have to do it though?" asked Star. "Why don't we just all send out a bunch of people to do it?"_

_Rex paused. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused._

"_Why don't all caravans work together, and give, trade, and sell myrrh to other villages?" asked Star._

"_I don't know Star, I just don't…" Rex's words trailed off. Caravans giving myrrh to each other? Trading? Selling?_

_Someone had just flicked the bulb on in Rex's brain. This was a perfect opportunity to get some money in his pocket and be set for life._

"_Well, it's late, you should get to bed," said Rex, hiding his cunning smile._

"_Okay…good night, big brother," said Star._

"_G'night Star…sweet dreams…you deserve them after giving me such a great idea," snickered Rex quietly to himself. He would start in his second year. Do his job and seem like a great hero. After winning the approval of the people of Tipa, then he would start with his big plans…_

_Star listened in the hallway. What was he planning?_

**0000000000Flashback End0000000000000000000000**

"Don't you remember?" Rex asked mockingly, snapping Star out of her dream. They had both been remembering the past.

"Did you really give him that idea?" asked Creston, stunned. His whole attitude had changed now.

Star looked down, and slowly nodded.

People started to shout at Star, trying to find a scapegoat for all of these problems.

"But that whole thing's in the past. Now I swipe apples from this place, and sell them to starving people for all they've got," said Rex, with a sardonic smile. "But Star, why don't you come with me? You're good at thinking of scams. We could be a great team- think about it."

"I won't ever do such a thing," said Star, tears threatening to fall down her face.

Rex rolled his eyes, and let out a short snort of laughter. He walked straight up to her, grabbed her on the shoulder, and put his face in front of hers.

"No matter how much you hate me, the idea was originally yours, so it's all YOUR fault," he whispered.

BAM!

Rex was knocked backwards off his feet, and onto the ground. His green eyes widened as he clutched his nose, which had started to bleed.

Sam stood up, fist outstretched with specks of blood, glaring at Rex with such hatred that Garrett's glares at Creston didn't even compare.

"Don't you touch her," threatened the leading Clavat.

"Why not?" asked Rex, his smile gone. "She's my sister. I should be worried about YOU touching her, pal, not the other way around."

"Don't touch her," repeated Sam. "And never talk to her like that again. It isn't her fault. It's YOURS."

Rex threw back his head and laughed. "She came up with the idea, so she's already a criminal. You can't just tell someone to do a crime, and when they get caught, expect yourself to be innocent!"

Sam just continued to stare at him.

Rex smirked. "If she's already a criminal," he said, standing up, "why not make the most of it?"

BAM!

Rex rolled again, while Ray restrained Sam from demolishing the other Clavat.

Meanwhile, some of the villagers had been gathering pitchforks and other farming tools.

"Come on, let's chase this guy out of town," shouted one man. The people began to swarm Rex. Rex darted away, quick as a flash.

"Remember this Star, I'm still alive out here!" he called back. "And you Sam! You and I have a score to settle! Ya got that? Watch your back!"

With a final cackle, he ran off.

Star looked up, and saw her brother disappear in the distance.

"How will he survive?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know," said Sam shaking his head.

"Well at least that's over," said Lia, taking a deep breath. Then one of the villagers walked over to the caravanners.

"Maybe you should leave…," he said awkwardly.

"What!?" exclaimed Ray. "But-"

"Please. We have no feelings against you, but for right now, we would prefer if no caravans were here."

"Alright," said Sam. "Come on guys…let's go."

The Tipa caravan left the Fields of Fum in silence

* * *

Oh MAN! This is the longest chapter I've made yet.

Favorite parts: The tale of Rex

So Star's character chapter is pretty much done. But it slightly continues in the next. It's more of an aftermath of this chapter than anything else.

So yeah, Rex. I personally love his character. He's not really "evil", in a sense (unlike Selstun, who radiates evil), but is more of a greedy person who will do ANYTHING for money. This chapter was mainly focused on Star, so not much went on in the actual fields. However, in year four they will visit the fields often. Perhaps then we can have more cow races- I mean FUN!

Rex's main reason for being so bad is that he tortured people in a mental way, holding all of their fates in his hands, and killing someone from his village. For those of you who think he wouldn't let his village die, I assure you, if he didn't get them the myrrh in time, he'd just move to a new village. He's a jerk.

Will he show up again? I'm not sure. He'll definitely be mentioned again. I MIGHT (might) throw in a Sam vs. Rex showdown in a later chapter. But I've already got a couple of showdowns planned out, so I'm not sure.

Mika and Lia don't about the Rex dilemma because they aren't from Tipa. Mika is from Leuda. I won't reveal where Lia comes from yet.

Next Chapter: After Star's issues with Rex in the Fields of Fum, arguments break out over what happened and what WILL happen. The old argument from before rises again in a crushing wave. But this time, will the breaking of friendships be permanent?


	35. Shattered Bonds

BLARGH! We're back…

Yeah, not much going on in this chapter. Just the gang arguing…again…and more on Star's character chapter.

Other than that, not really much…seriously…

I'm running out of ideas on ways to open the chapter. XD

Ah well…it's not the opening that matters…it's the story. So let's get to it. *makes the chapter appear out of nowhere.

* * *

The sound of flowing water filled the night sky, as the Tipa caravan made camp by the Jegon River. Thankfully, there was a crystal there, so they wouldn't have to spend the night on the road…surrounded by monsters and miasma.

Everyone sat around a campfire, except for Star, Ray, and Garrett. Garrett was pacing around, a troubled look on his face, while Ray was skipping rocks across the water. Star sat aside from everyone else, while Sam watched her with a worried face.

Nieta sighed. "This is so stupid…"

Lia gave her a curious look. "What is?"

"I mean, we're sitting out by the Jegon River because we were kicked out of a village for what we didn't do…why can't we just stay there? We're not the criminals," stated Nieta.

"Because they don't trust Sta- I mean, caravanners at the moment," Ray recovered himself quickly.

"Well sheesh, why can't we all just go back there?" groaned Garrett, sitting down. "Star's the one they don't like. Let her go camping."

Sam glared at Garrett. "We stick together," he said coldly. "Right, Creston?"

He looked for Garrett's rival to back him up, but Creston was silent as well.

"He has a point," stated the Yuke, pondering.

"Creston…don't tell me you AGREE with Garrett?" asked Sam incredulously.

"Well…he makes a fair point," said Creston, rubbing his helm thoughtfully. "Star IS the reason why we're here."

Star flinched at his words.

"But Sam makes a fair point, too…," argued Mika, looking at Creston reproachfully. "It isn't Star's fault."

"Well…I'm wondering why Star never told us in the first place…," said Garrett. "If she hadn't kept it secret, maybe this might not have happened."

"Would you reveal the inner issues of your family to your friends?" challenged Ray.

"Well, you did that just fine, right?" Garrett shot back. Ray stood up and walked over, fists clenched.

"Ray," said Lia warningly. But the Selkie just sat down and picked up a striped apple.

"I didn't reveal it; it just happened, idiot," said Ray quietly.

"Well, you certainly became the center of attention," stated Creston bluntly.

Mika gaped at Creston. "Are you saying that Star and Ray wanted ATTENTION after those things occurred."

"No, I was stating a fact," said Creston quickly.

"But it doesn't change that we're out sitting by a campfire because of Star's brother," said Nieta.

"Her brother- not her," said Lia sharply.

"Well didn't Star give him the idea?" demanded Garrett.

"You weren't there; don't act like you understand," said Ray, his eyes smoldering.

"But I was," said Creston. "And Garrett may be right."

Ray couldn't think of a response to this.

"Well Star, did you give him the idea?" asked Creston calmly. Star looked over at the sound of her name. Then slowly, she nodded.

Creston sighed. "What were you thinking?"

"She was a kid, Creston," said Sam hotly.

"It isn't hard for a child to see a person's true colors," responded Creston.

"Did YOU see Rex's true colors?" demanded Mika.

"No, but I've seen a person's hidden nature before," snapped Creston.

"Well, we're talking about a criminal mastermind here," said Ray. "We're not talking about a random beggar."

"The person doesn't matter," said Nieta.

"Even if she didn't know his true intentions, she still should have told us," said Creston. "We shouldn't be keeping secrets."

"Then why don't you tell us about your burnt arm?" countered Ray.

Creston visibly stiffened. "That is none of your business," he said coldly.

"And neither is Star's personal life," said Sam.

"This isn't a personal issue- this secret affected all of Tipa, while my burnt arm did not," said Creston.

"So when it comes right down to it, this is Star's fau-" started Garrett, but was interrupted by a striped apple hitting him in the head.

Everyone immediately glanced at Ray, but Ray gave them all a weird look.

"You think I'd waste a striped apple on HIM?" he asked. Everyone than shifted their gaze to Sam, whose arm was outstretched, and a thunderous look on his face.

Garrett rubbed his skull, and glared at Sam. "What was that for?"

"It is NOT Star's fault. Never say that again," growled Sam.

"Why don't you just stop arguing about it and face the facts," snarled Garrett. Sam reached for his sword.

Lia stepped between them. "Easy now. Let's not get violent."

Sam and Garrett shared dual death glares for a moment longer. Then Sam turned to look at Star. She had walked off.

* * *

Star sat further down the river, watching the flowing water around the shimmering crystal. Tears splashed down her face as she wept.

"Can I join you?" came a voice from behind her. Star turned around. She was expecting Sam, but Ray stood there instead. Star thought for a moment, and nodded.

"Sure," she said. Ray walked over and flopped down beside her.

"Sorry about all the crap that happened back there," he said, giving her a sympathetic look.

"It's fine. Thanks for sticking up for me," she responded. Ray held out a striped apple to her. She took it.

Both of them were silent for a while. Then Star broke the quiet calm:

"What was it like- I mean…how did you feel? When your sister died, I mean," she blurted out. Ray gave her a level look.

"Well…I felt like I was an idiot," he said, "I was sort of…crazy for a little while…the guilt was endless, I thought it was all my fault."

"That's how I feel about Rex," said Star gloomily.

"But then my friends helped realize that moping around about it wasn't helping," said Ray. "And then well…I just had to admit it…it wasn't my fault, and it could have happened to anyone."

Star looked at him thoughtfully.

"I just got fed up with crying and feeling sorry for myself," Ray said. "Mika and the others just picked me up, dusted me off, and gave me a new beginning."

"I think I understand that now…," said Star. She was about to ask him a different question concerning feelings…but was interrupted. Behind them came a rustling noise. Sam burst out of some bushes.

"Star, there you- Ray?" Sam's astonishment turned to confusion.

"Don't worry, man, me and Star were just havin' a little chat," the Selkie replied, winking. "Things were gettin' a little bit ugly back there, y'know?"

He got up and ran a hand through his long hair. "Well I'm off…see you guys tomorrow," he said.

Sam and Star both watched him go. Then Sam sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry for what-," he began.

"Don't worry about it," said Star, shrugging. "We were bound to meet up again one day."

"But still…," said Sam, a guilty expression still on his features. "I just…I can't believe he did that to you."

"It's fine," said Star, reassuringly. "In fact, I suppose I'm a little grateful to Rex."

Sam looked at her incredulously. "You're WHAT!? Grateful to that scumbag-!?"

"Yes," said Star. "You see, the whole reason I joined the Tipa caravan was to undo all of the horrible things my brother did. If he hadn't done anything, I would've never joined and I…I would've never the others…and you."

Sam felt blood rush to his face. "I-"

"But it'll all be okay now," said Star with a smile. "Well…I am…I don't know about the others, though."

Sam got to his feet, and helped her up. He embraced her and held her close.

"I just hope everything will be okay."

"It will…you'll see."

* * *

Oh…if only you knew, Star! MUAHAHAHA!

Favorite Parts: Despite the Sam/Star moments, my favorite moment is the conversation between Ray and Star. I find it funny how, out of all the characters, Ray gets along with everyone.

Well…this was sort of the second argument. In case you haven't figured it out, this year is the ARGUING year. I've sort of set each year into a theme…

Sam and Star are almost there! But not yet. Not a lot of other hints though.

Garrett, you got APPLE'D. But he deserves it. Garrett doesn't understand feelings well.

Next Chapter: Daemon's Court. A fortress of cunning lizardmen and other horrors. But this time, the Tipa caravan might actually meet their match!


	36. Defeat

*jaws music* Here it comes…

THE NEXT CHAPTER OF FINAL FANTASY: TIPA'S CRYSTAL CHRONICLES!

So yeah. In this chapter, Daemon's Court…interesting stuff happens there.

Uh…not much else to say. I mean, currently, we are watching the Marlboro and an Ahriman have a staring contest. We'll let you know who wins.

Note: This chapter contains switching from character POVS. It's still in third person, but it will switch from character to character.

Here we go!

* * *

Night had already fallen, as the Tipa caravan made its way into their final stop of the year: Daemon's Court, the home of the lizardmen.

Torches were alight, flickering around the fortress that lay in front of the eight travelers. It seemed to be a large, tent-like coliseum, with a dragon head on the single doorway inside. Surrounding this building were many catapults, bridges, and platforms.

"Alright, we've spent a day analyzing the lizardmen and there patterns," said Sam to his friends. They had decided to make a plan in advance when Lianora pointed out how smart the lizardmen were. It hadn't been easy, with the caravanners arguing, but they had made a successful plan.

"We know the way they guard," said Creston. "The movements they make. And we know that the entrance to that coliseum needs two keys to get in. The myrrh tree is definitely in there, because we haven't seen it anywhere else…so we move around quietly, killing each lizardmen silently so they don't make a ruckus. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. Mog picked up the chalice, and the gang started to head in.

But they found a problem early in. They had only found one lizardman, and he had been drunk. Garrett killed him easily.

The next monster they found was a bomb. Ray shot it down quietly, and the monster hit the bridge it was standing over. The bomb let out a loud explosion, blowing the wooden bridge apart. The logs floated down the river, and disappeared from sight.

After encountering a single couerl and a killer bee, the caravanners had realized it: something was wrong.

"Something isn't right around here," said Ray, breaking the uneasy silence. "Something is very wrong."

"Speak for yourself, I'm just happy it's going easy," said Nieta.

"No…," said Star quietly. "It isn't right. Think about it. We have hardly seen any monsters in such an intimidating fortress…and yesterday, we saw so many lizardmen patrolling this place…where could they have all vanished off to?"

Garrett rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter, they're not here. I think you're just making a big deal out of nothing."

"If there's nothing here, then we shouldn't worry so much," said Lianora, agreeing with the hotheaded Lilty.

"I don't know," said Sam, voicing his thoughts. "It's pretty weird…"

"Sam, look!" hissed Nieta, pointing. Over by the entrance of the coliseum were two lizardmen guards.

"They must have the keys!" said Mika. "There's no one else here!"

"They look familiar…have we seen those two before?" questioned Nieta.

Creston stared hard at them. "Veo Lu Sluice. I believe their names were Raust and Zesall…I thought they had dissolved in miasma, but it turns out I was wrong."

"Well, let's go take them out!" snarled Garrett dashing forward. "We'll get the keys in no time!"

"Garrett, no! We're supposed to do this sneakily!" whispered Sam harshly.

"Don't tell me what to do, farmer boy!" came the returning growl. Mika and Lia moved after him, to back him up just in case something went wrong.

But just as Garrett was about to make his move, one of the lizardmen lifted a torch. The fire shined a warm light on all of the caravanners.

The lizardman holding the torch grinned. "Well, well, well, isssn't thisss déjà vu?" he hissed. "Remember thessse foolsss, Zesssall?"

"Indeed I do, Raussst," said Zesall, eyes glittering. "How have you been."

"Enough small talk," said Sam, moving forward. Garrett had already gotten the caravanners caught anyway, so Sam could freely move towards the lizardmen. "We're here to take you out and take the myrrh from the tree. Give us your keys if you value your life."

Both lizardmen glanced at each other. Then they did the thing Sam expected the least: they laughed. It was shrill, sharp, mocking laughter, that made the hairs on Sam's neck stand on the end.

"Oh man…," snorted Raust, clutching his stomach. "That'sss rich! Can you believe it, Zesssall?"

"I know," responded his companion. "Exactly asss planned!"

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, confused.

"You picked the wrong kind of battle ssstrategy," said Raust. With a grin, Zesall blew into a trumpet. Star realized what was happening.

"No!" she shouted, stabbing the lizardmen in the heart. Zesall shuddered and stilled, but it was too late. As Raust snarled in rage, all the caravanners saw it.

Rising up, out of the shadows, was an almighty number of lizardmen, all armed to the teeth and bristling with weapons. Big lizardmen, small lizardmen, all covered in gleaming black armor. And they all wore the same facial expression: a grin that radiated bloodlust.

They had been so focused on not being seen, they had completely overlooked the fact that the lizardmen hadn't been seen as well!

They had been ambushed. They had fallen into a trap.

Raust, smirk back in place, snapped his fingers. "ATTACK!" he roared.

The lizardmen surged into battle like a mighty wave, only focusing on one thing: the death of the Tipa caravan.

* * *

Star was surrounded by lizardmen, but every time she managed to defeat, or even hit one, another would stab her in the back. Blood stained her nice clothes as she struggled to defend herself. She saw Nieta and Sam nearby, fighting side by side. She glanced to the left, seeing a lizardman holding a spear lunge for her. She was hit in the shoulder, and let out a cry, before stabbing the lizardman furiously.

Star looked around wildly, and saw Creston, struggling with his hammer, as he didn't have time to cast spells in this hoard of foes.

"Creston!" gasped Star, struck by a sword again. "Come on…help me…cast a magic around us."

"What are you, insane?!" asked the Yuke, viciously crushing a large lizardman's skull. "In this mob? We'd both get killed!"

"But-" said Star.

"Don't tell me what to do!" interrupted Creston, as his staff and a lizardman's mace met with a loud CRACK! "Acting like everyone knows what's best got us into this- GAH!"

Star looked over from her opponent, to see Creston's body lit aflame by a fire spell. The lizardman that had been fighting him previously knocked the Yuke over. The Yuke was trampled by the vicious reptilian creatures.

"Creston!" shrieked Star. "I'm coming- AAH!"

She hadn't seen it coming, but a lizardman had clonked her on the head. Star's last vision was a swirl of chaos and blood. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Mika grunted at the effort of pushing another lizardman off her. She leaped over towards another one of the beasts and broke its neck with her racket. But she couldn't keep it up. Her body was starting to covered in bruises and cuts, and she had one part where she had been hit by a blizzard spell.

She had just witnessed Creston going down under all the creatures, but Mika couldn't go over and help him now. She was too busy with her own opponents.

She shot an aura blast at a lizardman, hitting it square in the eye. It screeched at the pain and keeled over, screaming.

Mika vaguely wondered how Ray, Star, and the rest were doing. She had only seen Garrett at the beginning of the battle, who had viciously told her to not bother him, and that she wasn't the leader, so she didn't need to worry about him.

As she knocked over another monster, Mika noticed that this wasn't only a battle with the lizardmen, but a battle with the caravanners themselves.

"All this leadership crap is gonna get us killed," she hissed to herself under her breath. "It has to stop!"

Before she could think about anything else, however, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down, her eyes widening to see a spear sticking out of it. She looked up and saw a gold lizardman laughing cruelly at her, another spear in its hand.

_Gold?_

As she dropped to her knees, Mika wondered why this lizardman had been a different color. But it didn't matter anymore…

* * *

Garrett was fighting like 10 men. He had probably killed more of these accursed things then all the others combined. The heat of battle was starting to get to him.

Glancing down, he saw that Mog was still beneath him. The little moogle had been hit by a lizardman's mace, and had fallen down. With the chalice beneath him, Garrett had to still fight and maneuver well while protecting his fallen companion.

He stabbed one lizardman, he shattered the jaw of another. But then a giant lizardman loomed before him. Their eyes met. And Garrett knew.

"You!" he exclaimed, pointing. "You were at Selepation Cave!"

"Yesss…," crooned Snair in a mocking tone. "You remember me? It took me a long time to find my way out of the cave after you and your companions knocked me over a cliff. My two companionsss didn't sssurvive. I needed the food," explained Snair in a wretched voice.

Garrett almost gagged. "You're sick!" he shouted. "Just you wait, this time I'll make sure your dead."

"Wow…I wasss jussst about to sssay the sssame thing," said Snair, letting out a croaky chuckle. Garrett stared in confusion.

"What do you-" he began, but a stabbing pain in his back stopped him from completing his sentence. Groaning, Garrett gave one last glare to the lizardman, before falling to the ground and vanishing under the swarm of lizardmen.

* * *

Nieta and Sam were fighting side by side. They had agreed to forget their differences and work together- for now anyway.

Nieta wondered why Creston or anyone else hadn't foreseen this. Maybe it was because the arguments they had had affected everyone more than each caravanner though.

Sam moved forward and helped Nieta fend off a large foe.

"We'll make it through this," assured Sam. "We always have and we always will." Nieta nodded, and let out a small, determined smile.

But all the while, while Sam spoke, Raust had crept up behind him.

"Thisss isss for Zesssall," growled the lizardman. He drew his cutlass and thrust it forward.

"SAM!" screamed Nieta, as he fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from his back and shoulder. Raust cackled at his handiwork, and disappeared into the growing mass of lizardmen.

Nieta looked around desperately, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around in alarm.

Lia was standing right next to her, with Creston's limp body draped over her shoulder. Mog was tied messily to her coat, and she held the chalice in her hand.

Nieta's eyes widened in dismay. '_Not Mog and Creston, too!'_

"Help me get them out of here!" exclaimed Lia. "We're not going to win this battle. We've already lost."

Nieta nodded, swallowing her fear. She picked up Sam, and carried him out of the mob, as fast as her stubby little legs could carry her.

She met Lia out there. They looked desperately at the battle as Lia cured them all. What about the others? Now that they were out of the battle, their friends were no longer under the chalice's protection, as Lia had the chalice with her.

"Where are Star, Mika, Garrett, and Ray?" asked Nieta fearfully. Then she heard Lia gasped, and the Yuke pointed.

Ray emerged, carrying Garrett in his arms, with Star on his back. Both of them were out cold. Ray's body was covered with slashes and bruises. Lia spotted a BITE MARK on him.

He set down both of his comrades. "I've got them. Take care of them. They still haven't noticed that we've left the battle." The Selkie stared down at his fallen friends. Then he gasped.

"Where's Mika?" he demanded. Lia looked at him fearfully.

"She's not with you?" asked the Yuke. Ray's eyes widened and he looked back at the hoard of lizardmen.

He started to run, but Lia grabbed him.

"There's barely any chance that she's still alive in there, with all those monsters and no chalice protection!" shouted Lia, pointing to the holder of the myrrh. "I care for her too, but this is not the time to be reckless!"

Ray shook her off. "I was supposed to be dead too, but I'm still here, aren't I?! Even if she is dead," he swallowed fearfully, "she'll get a proper funeral. And besides, I'm a Selkie! We're made to be reckless!"

Lia watched as Ray dashed into the battle once more.

"Oh god…why did this have to happen?" she asked herself in dismay.

* * *

As Ray dashed through the onslaught of weapons, he wondered what the hell he was doing.

The Selkie code flashed through his mind: _Always put yourself first._

Then why the hell was he risking his own life to rescue Mika's?

She was just another friend. It's not like she mattered a lot. But when Ray thought about it, would he have done this for any other of the caravanners?

Probably not. Maybe, but probably not.

Ray weaved through the sea of reptiles, and then he caught sight of something: a flash of silvery-grey hair.

Ray dodged through the crowd and found Mika, lying under a group of lizardmen. One of them was grinning and reaching down towards her.

Ray grabbed it by the throat, and hurled the creature into its bloodthirsty companions. He scooped up Mika, and ran.

As he moved quickly through the beasts, he listened closely. His eyes brightened: he could still hear and feel her heartbeat.

Determined, Ray felt all exhaustion vanish and moved even faster. All that mattered now was getting Mika out safely.

* * *

Lia gasped as Ray emerged, carrying Mika. She made to help him, but he ran right past her.

"Come on, let's go! We need to get out of here!" shouted Ray.

Nieta grabbed the chalice and Sam, and began to run, while Lia grabbed Creston and followed her. Ray threw Star over his shoulder and picked up Garrett by the Lilty's hair tuft with his teeth. As they ran out of the bloody battlefield, Lianora stole a glance backwards.

Then she saw it. There was a large figure in the shadows, on a platform above, watching as the chaotic battle took place. She knew that this was the creature who made the plan. This was the creature who had known they were coming. This was the creature that wanted them **dead**.

The lizardman king

And as Lia looked back, their eyes met. And Lia understood.

They had managed to escape, but with heavy casualties. And although they were free from the fiendish monsters, they had not won at all. The king had let them escape. He knew they would probably die anyway.

In their third year, at Daemon's Court, the Tipa caravan was defeated.

* * *

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH! DONE!

Favorite Parts: I loved the entire chapter, but my favorites were Garrett and Snair, Ray saving Mika, and the moment between the lizardman king and Lianora.

Okay, first of all, this is NOT the end. But I loved adding this plot twist/ cliffhanger.

This just goes to prove the saying: United we stand, but divided we fall.

More returning monsters! The lizardmen have returned. So they'll die off soon. :P

And so, down go the caravanners. Hope you enjoyed this special chapter

Next Chapter: After the disaster at Daemon's Court, the Tipa caravanners are left to lick their wounds in shame. Realizing that the only way to solve their problem is to talk, the caravanners try to understand each other. But will they be able to regroup, take the myrrh from Daemon's Court, and return to Tipa in time?


	37. Forgiven Friendships

*turns on a flashlight* Sorry, power outages finally over.

Yeah…this is a "bonding chapter"…so not much action, but hey…

FINALLY, THE CHARACTERS BECOME FRIENDS AGAIN!

Other than that, not much. I'll try not to rush this chapter because…I LOVE DAEMON'S COURT :D

Alright, enough shouting. Here ya go.

*turns off flashlight*

* * *

Every caravanner was seated in the upstairs section of an inn in the Fields of Fum. No one would refuse the caravanners now that they were injured. It was quiet. No one had really spoken in days.

Sam sat beside Star and Creston, who were both in critical condition. He looked down at his old friend, and his favorite person in the caravan. Both had almost been lost. And why? Because the bonds of the caravanners' friendship had been shattered to pieces. Sam winced, looking down at his bandaged stomach. He wasn't too well either. He had been stabbed when his back was turned, a bad slash wound on his shoulder, and several cuts on his sword arm. Those lizardmen played dirty.

Garrett stood, stabbing his spear in a wooden stool every couple of seconds. He had a bad stab wound in his back, and a dislocated shoulder. Luckily for him, his injuries hadn't been too serious. But one thing had been injured very badly; his pride.

Mika sat silently, letting out a small noise of pain whenever she moved. Her stomach had been badly injured, and her head had suffered some heavy blows. Whenever a loud noise sounded from outside, she would wince.

Creston was awake, his rasping breaths the only sound that was really in the room. He felt stupid. He felt guilty. He knew he could've prevented all of this from happening. But no. He just had to go and prove himself right. But what did he prove? That his smart remarks could've gotten them all killed. Creston felt burns all along his body, and bruises from when he had been trampled. He had a stinging migraine, and his original burnt arm was hurting him worse now.

Ray sat on the windowsill, looking out on the shiny day around them. He hadn't been injured horribly. He had only received many minor cuts, a shock from a weak thunder spell, and a sprained ankle from all the running he did. Ray didn't care about his injuries that much. Compared to his ordeal in Selepation Cave, this physical pain was nothing. But mentally, he was hurting really bad. Mika, Garrett…all of them had almost been killed.

Nieta shivered slightly. She had been hit by Blizzara spell, and the aftereffects were still hurting her. She also had some facial wounds, and a gash in her leg. She stretched for a moment, but quickly stopped after a sharp pain hit her. She simply leaned against the wall where she had been, in the silence that had gripped the group since Daemon's Court.

Star was asleep. She only had a broken finger, and a twisted ankle. She also sprained her wrist, and had a bump on the back of her head. Her life wasn't in any danger, but she could barely move. She breathed quietly, almost silently, as the other caravanners watched her fearfully, scared that she might leave them.

Lianora seemed to be the least injured, as she sat quietly in a corner, stroking Mog's fur. She herself only had a few bruises and bumps. Her neck had been whacked badly, and she had some cuts along her leg. She let out a quiet breath.

"Alright everyone…," she said, her voice ringing out like a strong, clear bell. "We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about?" asked Garrett, for once not sounding aggressive. "We lost; it's over."

"What do you mean, it's over?" asked Lia, pressing onwards. Somehow, a small seed of hope had sprouted within her. She knew she could fix this.

"We lost," said Mika, scratching her back. "We lost, and now we're injured. Now it doesn't matter what happens; there's no way we can bounce back from something like this."

"She's right…," said Sam softly. "By the time we're completely healed, Tipa will be done for."

Lia sighed. She was starting to lose that hope she had moments earlier.

Then Nieta piped up. "Our injuries aren't that bad. We'll probably be fine in a week. Maybe less, because we're so tough."

Ray let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah…I mean…after what I went through, I'll be back out killing monsters in no time."

Creston sighed. "Even if our bodies heal, it doesn't really matter. We've said things that can't be taken back…this is the end of our friendship, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!" said Mika, her voice starting to regain that strong tone it once had.

Lia nodded slowly, her hands still running gently through Mog's fur. "We can fix this."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Garrett, starting to get angry because he didn't understand.

"Talk," said Lianora simply.

"Talking is what caused this in the first place," countered Creston darkly.

"If talking can cause a problem, then talking can fix it," declared Lia.

"Alright then…now...let's start with when it all began," said Lia. "Creston. You snapped at Lia, which started all this. Why?"

Creston sighed. "I'm sorry…I was stressed…my meeting with my father was interesting…to say the least…"

Lianora looked at him closely. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry Lia…that is something I will NOT talk about," said Creston sincerely, but firmly. Lia knew he wouldn't budge. She sighed. Hadn't there been enough secrets? Oh well.

"Garrett, you got angry next-," began the female Yuke, but Garrett interrupted her.

"I was defending Nieta…and well…from that point on…I guess me and Creston just got a little hotheaded…I hadn't been thinking about what I was saying and I'm…sorry for what I said," said Garrett awkwardly.

"Same here," said Creston.

"You're forgiven," said all five of the other caravanners. "We're sorry as well."

"Now then…the first argument is settled, because Star only flipped out when we were all insulting each other and such," said Ray calmly. "Now let's solve the second one."

"The second argument began when we placed the blame on Star," said Garrett quietly. "And well…it's not that…I mean…"

"It wasn't Star's fault. I'm guessing that Rex had twisted her memories to make her feel the guilt," said Lianora firmly. "Everyone who sided against Star, you need to apologize to her."

"I'm…sorry," said Garrett bitterly.

"I ask for forgiveness as well," said Creston, glancing at Star next to him.

"Same here," said Nieta. "It wasn't your fault."

A bright voice came from next to Creston. "It's okay guys, I forgave you a long time ago."

"Star!" said Sam, hugging her, then pulling away quickly after he felt her wince.

"So…we're all friends again!" said Star, her radiant smile lighting up the room. Everyone else smiled in return. The sun outside the window had risen to its full height, shining down on them all with a warm light.

* * *

"Okay…here's the plan…," said Creston, a few days later, sitting in front of the caravanners with a drawing. "When we go back to Daemon's Court in a few days…here's how we'll do it."

"First of all, we kill them all. No holds barred. Every lizardman in that fort is going down, understood?" Eight heads nodded (Mog had become enthusiastic about killing the lizardmen). "So we kill them. I've noticed there are catapults there. We can use those to our advantage. Mog stays in the center, so we can defend him from all sides. We cannot afford for someone to carry the chalice. They'd become too easy of a target."

"But here's the main issue," said Creston, thinking. "Those two keys…they weren't found with the door's guards. The boss and myrrh tree is DEFINITELY in there…so…any ideas?"

But everyone was silent. Where could the keys be?

"Great…if we can't get into that golden fortress, we're done for…," said Creston, heaving a great sigh.

_Golden._

Something flashed in Mika's brain. She had remembered!

"I saw a golden lizardman," said Mika, standing up. Everyone stared at her in confusion.

"Gold?" asked Nieta. "Lizardmen are green. Unless it was armor."

"No, it was gold," confirmed Mika firmly. "It had a gash on its face. I don't think armor bleeds."

"So…?" asked Garrett, confused.

"Gold lizardman," explained Mika. "Golden dragon door. How many lizardmen did you see that were gold?"

Everyone was silent. Then Sam spoke.

"I think I saw one…," he said uncertainly. "It threw a spear at me."

"The golden ones throw spears," said Mika. "So that's two so far."

"Unless Sam saw the same one," argued Lia. Sam shook his head.

"The one I saw didn't have a gash," said Sam.

"You might have seen it before it received it," said Creston matter-of-factly.

"I saw one…near Garrett…right before Garrett went down," said Sam confidently, remembering.

"Mika fell before I did," said Garrett. "That means if Sam saw one without a gash, and Mika saw one with a gash, that means they saw two different lizardmen. But I still don't get what it means…"

"It means that there are at least two golden lizardmen, and they both hold the keys," said Ray.

"How do you know they have them?" asked Lia.

"No other lizardmen dropped keys, though," said Nieta, agreeing with Lia.

"But none of us killed a golden one," said Creston. "But two of them…two keys…two key holes…golden lizardmen…golden door…it all adds up…"

"And they throw spears," added Mika. "To try and kill you from far away…"

"So you don't get close and kill them and get their keys!" finished Star.

Creston thought, then nodded. "It's the most reasonable thing that we've thought of. You're probably right, Mika. Well thought."

Mika grinned. "Yukes aren't the only ones with brains."

"Alright, everyone," said Sam. "We leave in two days! Everyone get ready to kick some major lizardman butt!"

Everyone cheered loudly.

* * *

Creston sat alone late at night, carefully looking over the plan. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

"It's late," came a voice from behind him. He slowly turned to see Lianora enter the room.

"It doesn't matter," Creston replied. "Everything needs to be perfect."

Lianora sat down beside him. "What do you mean?"

"Well…not to try and sound like a pessimist…but if we mess this up…it's all over," said Creston darkly. "We can't afford to lose…or we lose more than just a chance for myrrh…we lose our families…and friends…"

Lianora nodded. "Well…you'd be a lucky one…you'd still have your father."

Her ploy had worked. Creston immediately flinched and clenched his feathery hands. "That is NOT luck," he growled, almost to himself.

"So I thought right. Something happened." Creston cursed himself mentally now that Lianora had guessed it. "Something went down between you and your father."

"Nothing went down. Things between are the same as always," said Creston, his voice a great deal more cold.

"Creston…your burnt arm-"

"It was an accident! You want the truth? I walked into a torch and didn't notice my arm was burning," defended the other Yuke.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Lia. "It's not a big deal-"

Creston snorted. "Garrett would never let me live it down."

Lia sighed and wanted to wail in frustration. Her voice became desperate. "Creston, hasn't there been enough secrets!?"

"It's my business, not a secret! Why do you care?" asked Creston angrily.

"Because I'm worried about you!" said Lia, raising her voice. Then she and Creston realized how loud they were being.

"Shhh," said Creston, urging Lia to be quiet. "We mustn't wake the others."

He sat back down. His companion made no move to leave.

"I'm sorry…," he began. "I…I just don't want anyone to get involved…with it…it isn't serious…it's just…"

"I…I understand as well," said Lia, bowing her head. "I…I didn't want to pester you. I just-"

"Wanted to make sure I was okay," finished Creston. "And I am. And I suppose I'll tell you the real reason of my burnt arm…but you must not tell the others."

She nodded. "I promise."

Creston showed his burns to Lia. "When I went to speak with my father…we both…we both said things that should not have been said. We quarreled, and then I hit him with a fire spell, and he did the same."

Lia gasped. "What...but...why?"

"That is the only thing I wish to keep private," assured Creston quietly. Then he was given a surprise; he found Lianora's arms around him.

"Lia! I-" he said, shocked.

"I'm sorry...," she said. "It must be hard…seeing us with all our parents."

"Ray has it worse than I do," said Creston, hesitantly returning the embrace. "You shouldn't worry about me so much. I'm not worth it."

After a long while, Lia finally went to bed. Creston still sat where he was, in front of the diagram, with a strange, new warmth in his body. Then silently, he went back to work as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

Ta-da *applause*

Favorite Parts: Creston and Lia at the end, without a doubt

So…yeah…arguing is over! Now that they've reconnected their ties of friendship, nothing can ssstop them. (okay, I'm sorry about the hissing).

Uh…major Lia and Creston moments in this chapter…some occasional Star and Sam…

NOW THEN: On to my favorite announcement. I'm thinking about doing a Christmas fic for these guys. If you think that's a good idea, then here's the thing. They'd all be in couples, and I'd throw in bosses, villains, and reoccurring monsters.

There's a poll on my profile. Vote now!

Next Chapter: The Tipa caravan returns to Daemon's Court, stronger than ever. As they storm the fortress and steal the keys, their bond grows even stronger. But the lizardman aren't done for yet. When another ambush occurs, what will the caravanners do?


	38. Round Two: Storming the Fortress

Hello! Welcome to the next chapter…

My plot lab rats are attempting to find more ways to start the chapter.

Daemon's Court. Round Two. That is all.

BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT! The gang will start to use holy spells (because of the undead creatures in Daemon's Court and onwards). HOWEVER, the gang CANNOT use a life spells (because if Ray had died, they'd just bring him back). So basically, the holy spell is just going to be a holy spell, not really a fusion spell. Basically, the life spell doesn't exist in this fic.

That's pretty much it.

Here we go! *opens a warp hole in Daemon's Court*

* * *

The eight caravanners stood in single file, facing the fortress of the foul beasts that had defeated them before.

"Are we really going back in there, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Yup," answered Ray.

Sam drew his sword. "This is it guys. Do or die. Now let's try our best. Our village is counting on us!"

"Right!" everyone else shouted. They began to make their way into Daemon's Court.

Their first opponents was a giant lizardman and coeurl. The lizardman's eyes widened at the sight of them.

"Ssso," hissed the monster. "You're back again, hmm? Didn't learn your lesson the firssst time, eh?"

"Doesn't matter," said Sam, determination in his eyes. "We're not going to lose this time."

"Ha!" chuckled the lizardman. "Put your gil where your mouth his, plow pusher."

"Gladly," said Sam, flashing a signal to his friends. They all ran forward.

The lizardman lashed out with his mace, but Sam was ahead of him. Both of their weapons clashed fiercely, but Sam twirled on his feet and disarmed the lizardman. Growling, the monster threw a punch at him, but Sam rolled out of the way. While Sam was dodging, the lizardman ran for his weapon, but Nieta kicked it over to Mika, who threw it at the coeurl. The coeurl hissed in pain, but managed to launch a fire spell in defense. Garrett managed to avoid the attack and sunk his spear into the cat-like being's ribs. The coeurl stumbled, shaking off flecks of blood before falling onto its stomach.

Sam was still dueling with the now weaponless lizardman. The lizardman whacked Sam with its tail, knocking him back slightly. He towered over Sam, who was off balance, but Sam pointed up. The lizardman looked in time to see Ray come down with his battle. Disoriented, the poor reptile didn't see Lia's fire spell strike him. The burning beast stumbled backwards, into Nieta's extended spear. One last gasping growl and its lifeless body slid off of Nieta's spear.

Nieta wiped off her spear. "Let's keep going," she said.

They took a right at the large golden door, and found two new foes: one was a killer bee. But the next was a strange being indeed; it was a ghost.

"Shoot!" said Star, eyes confused. "How are we supposed to kill a ghost?"

"Well…we'll need to cast a holy spell," said Creston.

"Can you or Lia do it?" asked Ray.

Creston shook his head. "Yes, but listen. Unlike advanced fire and blizzard spells, holy spells are hard to do. You need to have around two people to do it most of the time. However, I'm good enough to cast it on my own. But it'll take a lot out of me. You'll have to guard me while I do it.

"Got it," said Sam. "Everyone surround Creston!"

As soon as Sam's order was given, the two monsters turned and began their assault. Lia and Mika (putting her Blizzard Ring to good use) used a gravity spell on the Killer Bee, while Mika cast a simple Blizzard spell to finish it off.

The ghost proved to be a more difficult opponent. While Creston gathered his power, Sam, Nieta, and Star were busy distracting the ghost. The ghost continued to make good attempts at stabbing them; he had already gotten Star, and nicked Nieta twice. But finally, Creston was ready.

"Holy!" he shouted. A bunch of white bubbles appeared around the monster, and it let out a furious, screeching cry. It began to lose its transparency until it became completely opaque. The monster was now physical.

"Alright, now get it, quickly!" shouted Creston, gasping for breath. "Holy spells are only temporary. It won't last forever!"

"We've got enough time!" said Sam. Star stabbed the wraith in the back. While turned around furiously to confront her, Mika used an aura shot, nailing the undead in the back again. But it didn't even have time to turn before Garrett slashed it with his spear. The wraith twirled around dizzily, before falling to the dirt ground.

The caravan made its way over a bridge, and began to head north. But soon, they became surrounded. A coeurl, a bomb, a wraith, and a killer bee moved in towards them.

Lia reacted first. She sent a blizzard attack at the floating bomb, freezing it. The frozen creature fell through the wooden bridge below it and exploded underneath the river. More logs began to float down the river (just like the last time they had been there).

Creston managed to cast another holy spell. The wraith became alive once more. Ray ran forward, with Mika on his shoulders. Mika leaped into the air. As the wraith watched her in confusion, Ray whacked it in the stomach, while Mika shot two aura blasts at the ghost. The wraith moved backwards, and stumbled into the wall.

Mog was being grabbed by the killer bee. "Help…kupo!" he shouted. Nieta heard his plea. She ran over and knocked the killer bee onto the ground with her spear. She grabbed and tossed it over to the coeurl. Sam and Star worked together to cast a gravity spell. The bee fell down and crushed the coeurl under its increased weight. Sam and Star both shook the headaches from the spells out of their heads.

Garrett opened his mouth to say something, but a spear went whizzing past his tufted head. Looking up with his hot eyes, he saw three lizardmen up on a balcony. One was a mage, one had a sword, but the last one was the most eye-catching: it was gold.

"Looks like I was right!" exclaimed Mika, pointing.

"Yes," said Creston, nodding. "Let's go get it."

The eight caravanners ran up a staircase and met their enemies. The golden lizardman stood far back, and began to hurl spears.

"Go for the golden one!" shouted Nieta, dashing forward.

"Oh crud…," growled the mage. "I think they've figured usss out!"

"Well then…let'sss not let them take usss out, too!" cried the sword wielding lizard. He ran forward, his tail swishing out behind him.

Garrett was about to run into the battle when he felt a vicious blow to the side of the head. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he looked angrily towards the direction the sneak attack had come.

The giant lizardman, Snair, stood before him, a large mace in his hand. He grinned a foul, cruel smile.

"Ssshall we sssettle thisss?" he asked, his tongue flicking out to lick his scaly lips.

Garrett glanced back at the others. They would be fine for right now. The chalice was still around them.

Garrett looked forward at his enemy. "Yeah…it's time for this to end, lizard lips! Let's make this end quickly!"

"Ssso be it," hissed Snair, lunging forward. Garrett's eyes widened, and for a split second, he was frozen. Then he managed to leap at of the way as the weapon came down. Twirling his spear, he stabbed it in the ground and flung himself upwards. Flipping in midair, he brought the weapon down at Snair. Snair managed to block the hit, but Garrett twirled in midair once more and landed a blow on the lizardman's shoulder. Snair grunted in surprise and pain, and stumbled backwards.

"Not bad, grasss boy," Snair growled, his cunning smile wiped off his face. "But it'll take a lot more than that to take me down!"

Snair moved again, whipping his mace past Garrett's head. Garrett dodged, but then Snair's tail whacked him. Garrett tumbled across the ground, and made his way to his feet, shaking his head, groggily.

"Garrett!" shouted Nieta, dodging an ice attack from the mage lizardman.

"Don't worry about him!" yelled Creston, sending a thunder spell at the sword wielding lizard. The creature let out a choking croak and fell still. "He can handle himself."

Garrett lashed out with his spear again, but Snair blocked it, and thrust his enormous head at Garrett. On sheer impulse, Garrett slammed his head against the reptilian head in front of him. Both warriors growled in fury and contempt, as they fought to remain their ground. But Snair grinned and struck Garrett with a clawed arm. Garrett gasped, but managed to kick Snair with a stubby leg. Snair cried out, and Garrett slammed his head in Snair's neck.

Snair coughed up dark blood, and moved backwards. The boy hadn't fought this hard in either of their encounters. When did he get so strong? In fact, when did the caravanners get this strong? They were working flawlessly…seamlessly…

Ah, that was it! Last time, the lizardman had heard them all bickering and arguing. But when they worked as a team, they were a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Snair snarled, swing his mace again. He was in trouble. Even if he killed Garrett, he had seven other caravanners to deal with. This was not good.

Garrett ran at him, while Snair thrust his weapon at the Lilty. Garrett ducked and slid under him. Once he was at the monster's belly, he thrust his spear up. Snair screeched as an unimaginable pain washed over him. Blood burst from his stomach, as Garrett rolled around. The Lilty swung his spear.

WHAM! CRACK!

Snair howled in fury and pain as he was knocked off of the fortresses walls. He flew down to the earthy ground below. Stumbling, he looked up and glared at Garrett with fear and hatred. He had to get away. The lizardman took a step forward. But his foot only landed on thin air.

Snair looked down in shock as he lost his balance and plunged into the water below. Gasping for air and splashing about, he tried swimming to the land once more, but a log from the broken bridge fell down and knocked him on the head. There was a low crack, and Snair's eyes bulged. His neck had been broken.

Garrett watched in grim silence, as blood surrounded the dying lizardman as he floated downstream. Snair gave him one last look of hate.

"You'll pay for thisss Garrett!" he shouted. He gagged on some blood welling from his throat. "Jussst sssee. Jussst wait and sssee!"

Garrett turned away, and began to walk back to his friends, who were picking up a key from the golden lizardman's corpse.

"No…," he said, putting his lance back on his back. "You're done for."

* * *

Walking along through the fortress (and battling more of the lizardmen on the way) the gang reached the other side of the area.

Creston looked around. "Where could that other golden one be?" he questioned aloud.

Nieta suddenly started to yell and point. "Guys!" she said. "Up there!"

The others followed her gesture. They looked up to see a gold lizardman, surrounded by four other lizardmen, looking down on them. Mika's eyes narrowed as she saw the lizardman. It had a gash on its face.

Mika growled. "This one's mine."

"Hang on," said Lia, cautioning the others. "We can't get near them. Three of them wield spears. If we run up to them, they'll just throw their spears and kill us all mid-run."

"So what do we do?" asked Garrett, crossing his arms and hopping from one foot to the other impatiently.

"Hang on," said Sam. "I'll think of something."

"Sorry Sam, but you're a little too slow," said Ray. He walked over to a large catapult with some big stones in it.

"Ray…what are you doing?" asked Sam curiously.

Ray didn't answer, but struck the catapult with his racket. The rocks went flying into the air, up towards the lizardmen.

((Author's Note: I know they don't go that high in the game. But come on; just pretend.))

The watching lizardmen's eyes widened as the rocks came cascading towards them. One lizardman's skull shattered instantly, while another one fell off the wall and onto the ground below. Lia made short work of him with a thunder spell.

Three lizardmen remained. One was the golden lizardman, and the other two were javelin throwers. Ray and Mika both returned fire, and managed to kill one of the other lizardmen.

The golden lizardman was angry. "Curssse them!" he hissed malevolently. "I thought after I took care of that Ssselkie girl lassst time, ssshe and the othersss wouldn't be a problem anymore!"

The other lizardman was bewildered. "But how do we take care of them?"

"I'll figure sssomething out!"

"Watch out!" shouted the normal lizardman. "There'sss an attack heading ssstraight for usss!"

The golden lizardman's eyes narrowed, as he grabbed his companion, and shoved him in front of him.

"Hey! What are you- GACK!" The other reptile's protest was cut short as two aura blasts nailed him in his vitals.

"I can't afford to give up the key," stated the golden one coldly to his now dead companion. "Sssacrificssesss mussst be made."

Mika hopped onto the catapult. "Ray! Send me up there! This guy's gonna pay for what he did to me!"

"Are you sure?" asked Ray. "You'll be out of the crystal's barrier, and that-"

"Just do it!" snarled Mika. Ray gave her a quick nod, and kicked the catapult. Mika soared into the air, and aimed her racket.

The golden lizardman chuckled. "No attacksss for a while, eh? They mussst've given up. I'm sssafe now- eh?" The spear thrower's amusement turned into confusion as a dark shadow fell over him.

"Oh no…NO!" shouted the poor monster in fear. Mika's eyes narrowed as he tried to run.

"I don't think ssso," she said mockingly, firing her shot. The lizardman was hit in the leg as he tried to run down the stairs. He wound up falling down instead. He got up cursing, and growled at the caravanners.

Star walked over and picked up the key that had fallen off him during the tumble. "We've got both of them now."

"Why, you blasssted little bratsss!" roared the angry beast. But suddenly, a loud THUMP was heard, and the lizardman fell with the chalice on his head.

Everyone looked stunned. Mog floated over him. "That's for what you guys did to me last time, kupo!"

* * *

The large golden door opened with a loud creaking noise. Sam grinned.

"We're in…let's go-," Sam began, but his speech was interrupted by a trumpet blowing.

"Not again!" shouted Lianora, as lizardmen began to pour over the platforms above.

"Guys!" shouted Sam. "We'll try and make it under the doors! Whoever has the chalice has to go last."

Star slid under the door with ease, with Sam after her. Lia managed to slip under as well. Just as the rest were about to follow, the door started to come down. Garrett got his foot stuck under the door.

"Ack!" he yelped, trying to pull it out. "Help!"

Lia dashed over from behind the door, trying to help him lift it. But as Garrett's foot came loose, he stumbled, pulling Lia back outside the coliseum with him. The door closed with a loud bang.

"Shoot," said Creston. Ray swore, and Mika stomped her foot. "We couldn't get in after them. Only Sam and Star managed to get in."

"Will they be okay, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Their close enough to the tree and the chalice," stated Nieta. "So they should be fine, right?"

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Lia fearfully. "I saw the ruler of these foul creatures last time!" She swung her hammer at an oncoming lizardman. "They have a tough battle ahead of them."

"Come on, guys," said Ray. "Let's hold these punks off until Sam and Star get out!"

"Let's wish them luck," said Mika softly.

* * *

FINALLY! DONE! I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT THIS TOOK FOREVER!

Favorite Parts: Snair vs. Garrett, Catapult Fun, and Mog's Revenge on the lizardmen.

So the good guys finally win. Down go the lizardmen.

Now about Sam and Star going in alone. It's going to be a pattern, y'see? When a character couple is going to get their moment, they'll either go into the level alone, or face the boss alone (basically, Sam and Star are going to get together SOON!).

I guess I'll talk about the reoccurring enemies here (THIS IS GOING TO BE PRESENT IN EVERY CHAPTER WITH A REOCCURING ENEMY). I'll start with Zesall and Raust. Both of them were in Veo Lu, but escaped. Zesall died after being stabbed for blowing the trumpet. I killed him off because I wanted the Tipa caravan to have one small victory in the Defeat chapter. Zesall was used for that.

Next is Raust. Raust I like better, because he is definitely the more sinister of the two (although originally it was the other way around). RAUST IS NOT DEAD YET! He has yet to appear again, however. But you can expect him next chapter.

Lastly is Snair. Possibly my favorite reoccurring villain/enemy (although Gremmy and the skeleton crew are up there). Snair is a GIANT lizardman because I wanted variation. Snair was in Selepation Cave, mentioned by name once, and then knocked over a cliff. I like Snair because he really is dastardly (his comment to Garrett on eating his companions to survive). However, I killed off Snair because I wanted to have an epic battle between a lizardman and a caravanner. Both Zesall and Raust have small deaths. SNAIR IS DEAD! He did not survive, BUT he will show up again. Let's just say he's going to make a cameo in a later level. Some fans will figure it out if they squint.

That's pretty much it.

Next Chapter: Sam and Star are trapped alone in the coliseum of Daemon's Court, facing off against the mighty Lizardman King. But will they suffer a second defeat at the hands of these reptilian creatures?

Mog: My turn to request a review! Yay! So review, kupo! Do it!


	39. In Love and War

DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

All right. So we now have another chapter of Final Fantasy, Tipa's Crystal Chronicles. And guess what! We're gonna be hitting the 100 word mark soon. And I just might be able to finish this story in under a year…I hope. I think. Haha.

So in this chapter, Sam and Star face the Lizardman King. Oh joy. I want this to be an awesome boss battle but…the lizardman king is really easy…so…yeah.

And also, something that we've ALL BEEN WAITING FOR FINALLY HAPPENS! HURRAH!

That is all. NOW START READING! *salutes*

* * *

Sam and Star watched fearfully as the door behind them closed.

"Oh man," moaned Sam, smacking his forehead. "None of the others got in. It's just the two of us."

Star looked around. They were in a dark hallway. She felt around the walls.

"I can barely see anything," she said. "We need a light. Give me a second. Fire!"

The warm, orange glow of Star's fire spell lit up the hallway. They found some stone walls surrounding them, and also a large, metal door at the other end of the hall.

"Let's go," said Sam. The two walked towards the door, and with some effort, managed to get it open. They stepped through…

"Whoa," said Sam.

"Amazing," agreed Star.

They were now standing in a large arena, with great stone walls around them. The dark evening sky was above them, and stars glittered in the night. In the arena, the floor was tan and sandy, while there were red buttons in every corner. Sam vaguely wondered why they were there.

"What is this place…?" asked Star breathlessly. "And where's the myrrh tree?"

"I don't know, but-," Sam's response was cut short by long, low growl. Sam whirled around and pointed his sword in the direction of the noise. Just then, a coeurl crawled out of a door. A second yowl was heard from the opposite side of the area, and a second coeurl emerged from the shadows.

Both coeurls inched and edged closer to the two caravanners. Sam glanced back and forth as the two felines threateningly paced around them.

But suddenly, the coeurls abandoned their prey as the last door of the arena began to creak open. Both cats ran over and sat by the doorway, eagerly waiting for something…their master.

Sam was anxious, anticipation making him shudder. What would come out of the dark doorway ahead? Neither he, nor Star, had seen the lizardman king, and Lia only got a short, shadowy glimpse of it. But before he could think any longer, a gigantic, monstrous creature emerged from the door.

The Lizardman King stepped out into the open battlefield. Large and blue, he was dressed in elegant red and gold armor. He had a large horn on his nose, and a long, armored tail. His eyes were pure yellow, and seemed to glow with evil. He held two weapons. The first seemed to be an elaborately designed crossbow, which seemed to fire not one arrow, but five! The second weapon, on his right hand, seemed to be some sort of spear holder. Sam couldn't imagine what it was for.

The mighty lizard stepped forward, his long tongue swiping around his jaws. He eyed the caravanners with guarded curiosity and surprise.

"Ssso," he said, his voice deep and sibilant, and very chilling. "You were foolisssh enough to come back and try again, eh?"

"That's right," said Sam, trying not to let his fear show. "We're going to win this time!"

"Yeah!" said Star.

The lizardman king growled. "Well, I won't deny it. It ssseemsss you faired a little bit better than lassst time. But at what cossst? Where are your other comradesss?"

"They're not dead," said Sam defiantly. "They're just outside this building, kill YOUR men."

But Sam didn't know that for sure, and lizardman king knew this. Unlike the rather gullible and stupid Orc King, the vain and cowardly Goblin King, and the greedy and angry Jack Moschet, the lizardman king was clever. It was he who had caused the caravanners first defeat after all. He was not a foe to be underestimated.

"Well then…," he said, scratching at his neck. "It seemsss you are ssstronger than I expected. Mossst people never penetrate into the heart of my basses."

"Well, we have!" said Star, her eyes glowing with a determined nature. "Just like we've penetrated the Mine of Cathuriges, Goblin Wall, and Tida!"

Tida? Now that was interesting. The king knew that Armstrong was not a creature to be underestimated. Having spoke with Armstrong before, the lizardman king was actually mildly stunned. Mildly.

"Well then…tell me…how are they doing? It hasss been a long while sssince I've ssspoken to them," stated the king curiously.

"Dead. They're all dead," said Star.

"How could you have spoken to them?" asked Sam. "You're all in different areas of the world."

Oh, so he didn't know. The king smirked. Why not tell him?

"We monssstersss are normally sssimple beingsss, but a few of usss actually contain brilliant mindsss," explained the enormous reptile. "There isss one of usss, among our number, who can take our thoughtsss and transssfer them to the other monssstersss."

"So basically what you're saying is…there's a powerful monster out there…who can take thoughts and give them to other monsters?" asked Sam incredulously.

"Yesss," confirmed the king. "But only with usss…powerful monssstersss…mossst of usss don't have brainsss and mindsss that are advanced enough."

"But he can still take YOUR thoughts and…uh…transfer them to…Jack Moschet for example?" asked Star.

"Well, not ssso much thoughtsss, asss memories," said the king. "It isss sort of a deal between usss…usss and him."

"Wait…is this the same person that the Goblin King mentioned?" asked Sam.

"Posssibly," said the lizardman king, neither confirming or denying the question. Sam gritted his teeth, but remembered another question.

"Both the Orc King and the Goblin King mentioned that the monsters needed myrrh. What does it mean?" asked Sam.

"Both the Orc King and Goblin King are foolsss…well…were foolsss, apparently, if your ssstoriesss are to be believed," answered the lizardman king. "They never knew the truth. They were never important…they were sssimply at the bottom of the food chain."

"But you know what they mean?" asked Star.

"Yesss, but it doesssn't concern you three," said the lizardman king, raising his armed hand. "Don't forget, even though we're having thisss sssimple conversssation, we are ssstill enemies on opposssite sssidesss of the battlefield. Don't expect me to tell you all of our sssecretsss. After all, you're going to die anyway."

"Wait!" Sam yelled. "Just explain, please!"

"No," refused the king coldly. "Enough talk. You've killed my men on multiple occasssions, invaded my home, and rudely burssst into thisss place and disssturbed my ssslumber. It isss now persssonal. Die, foolisssh Clavat."

With an echoing roar, that sounded very different from his sophisticated tone, the lizardman king commanded his subjects to attack. The coeurls leaped forward, hissing, while the lizardman king fired a volley of arrows at the two Clavats.

"Star, look out!" shouted Sam. Both Clavats leaped out of the way, but Star felt an arrow scratch her arm. She had forgotten that he didn't shoot one arrow; he shot five.

The coeurls attacked. Sam managed to cut one open easily, but then had barely enough time to dodge the lizardman king's arrows. Star used a combo of sword slashes and magic to bring down the second coeurl. Sam ran at the lizardman king, swinging his sword in a powerful uppercut. But lizardman king just sneered and leaned backwards, as the sword harmlessly swished through the air.

Sam found the monster pointing his spear holder at him. _'What's he going to do with that? Is he going to take it out and throw it at me?'_

His answer came, and pain came with it, as the spear shot out automatically, stabbing Sam in the leg, who couldn't dodge due to being in the air. Sam cried out, and wrenched his leg away. The spear, meanwhile, moved back into its original position.

Star jumped forward. "You jerk! You'll pay for that!" She slashed at the powerful monster's legs, but the beast swung his arm in a wide arc, knock Star backwards away from him.

"You ssseem to be the one paying," mocked the lizardman silkily. He swung his arm at a nearby Sam, but missed. Sam jumped forward and tried to slash the lizardman king, but the king blocked the blow with his crossbow.

"Crap!" shouted Sam in realization. "It's not only a weapon, but it's also a shield." But while the king seemed to be doing a good job defending himself, Star snuck behind him and stabbed him in the back.

"Grah!" hissed the king, yellow eyes narrowing in pain. "Fighting dirty, little ratsss?"

He lashed his tail and sent both of them flying away. Sam and Star waited for his next move. The king shot his arrows at them, but Sam and Star both ducked and avoided them. Waiting again for another move, the two Clavats found another volley of arrows coming at them. This time Sam was hit, and he grabbed his arm as he felt a burn.

"Ouch! They're…they're on fire!" he exclaimed.

"That's not all!" shouted Star, as they dodged another round of arrows. "He has ice ones, too. I saw him shoot some!"

"Yeah but…something's not right here…," said Sam, thinking to himself. Why was the king only using arrows?

Sam felt someone flick the light switch on to his brain. Creston would have been proud.

"He can't use magic!" shouted Sam.

"What?" asked Star.

"He can only set his arrows on fire, or freeze them!" explained Sam, grinning at his discovery despite the situation. "But other than that, all of his attacks are short ranged! Basically, if we can dodge his arrows from this distance, we can defeat him with magic! Magic is our trump card against him!"

Star gasped. "Sam, that's brilliant!"

The lizardman king snarled. So they had figured him out. It was true that he couldn't use magic, but that hadn't stopped him before. He was still alive, whereas that magic fool, the Goblin King, was sitting in eternal damnation.

But the lizardman king's confident thoughts were interrupted by a fire and ice attack. Both hit him, and he staggered backwards, growling in pain.

"Not bad, little caravannersss," he hissed in anger. "But you alwaysss need an ace in the hole!"

Sam began to charge another spell, this time a thunder attack, but was stopped when he heard a strange, unfamiliar noise.

_Click. Bzzzzzz._

Sam turned around in shock. There was a buzz saw coming out of the ground coming straight for him.

"Star!" he shouted. "Look out!"

He escaped, but Star didn't. Sam watched in devastation as Star's skin was ripped open by the blades. With a painful moan, she pulled herself away from the cutting edges and fell to the ground.

The lizardman king grinned, as he pressed his clawed foot down on one of the red switches. _'How'sss that for a trump card, idiotic boy?'_

As the threatening saws advanced closer to the fallen Star, Sam picked her up and hopped away.

"Star, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes shining with worry.

"I'm…fine Sam," she said. "Here…let me heal both of us."

Star used a cure spell, and both Clavats stood up. They saw the lizardman king's foot step off the switch. The blades disappeared back into the ground.

Sam and Star both ran at their enemy, who also ran at them. Both of the king's weapons clashed with Sam and Star's swords.

But then Sam heard the same noise as before. The buzz saw had emerged from the ground. At the same time, a spear sank into his arm.

"Ow- what the-?" gasped Sam, but the lizardman king knocked him away. Star was knocked back too, but she looked around. How did the buzz saw emerge? And where did that spear come from?

And then she saw. Raust, the lizardman, was standing on the switch, a bundle of spears beside him.

"Looking for me?" he asked, smirking. Star tried to move toward him, but a spear came flying towards her.

"Now, now, now," chided Raust, waving a clawed finger. "You ssshouldn't try that when you have to deal with him!" He pointed to the king, who was advancing on Sam.

"Like I sssaid," growled the lizardman king in victory. "Alwaysss have an ace in the hole. But two acesss in the hole isss better!"

"No!" shouted Star, firing a powerful Fira attack at the king. The king was hit and backed off in rage.

"You ssscoundrel!" he roared, aiming a volley of arrows at Star. She jumped backwards. But as soon as she did, she felt the sharp, familiar blades of the buzz saw hit her feet. She tried moving again, and managed to escape the evil weapon, but suffered a few hit from some ice arrows.

"Ugh," she groaned, using a cure spell. She saw Sam emerge, and viciously dueling with the lizardman.

But Sam winked at her. He had a plan. He nodded Star to move over near Raust. She gave him a confused look, but then suddenly understood his plan. She moved, and dodged another spear, and aimed a powerful Blizzara spell at the Lizardman King. The king roared in fury, and knocked Sam backwards.

"You dirty little PESSST!" he snarled, firing his arrows right at her. Star waited, then ducked at the last minute.

SHUNK!

The sound of an arrow tearing skin filled the room. But Star stood up, with not an arrow on her.

"What?" asked the king, confused. Then his eyes widened as he saw. Raust was pinned to the wall by three arrows, one directly in the jugular in his throat. He let out a choking, gurgled gasp, as blood welled up in his mouth.

The king understood. Star had deliberately waited to evade until the last minute so that Raust wouldn't see the attack coming. And her ploy had worked. Raust had been hit and mortally wounded. And with that, the buzz saws returned to the ground below.

"Ssshe managed to get rid of my minion, and my weapons, at the sssame time…ssshe killed two birdsss with one ssstone," he growled.

Raust clutched feebly at his throat. "My king…my lord…why did you…," he was cut off by a choking cough. "Ack! Damnit…forgive me Zesssall…I have failed…to avenge your death."

Raust's eyes glazed over, and his head lolled lifelessly to the side.

The lizardman king gnashed his teeth in rage. He had lost one of his most powerful strategists…and all because he hadn't foreseen a clever plan.

He attempted to strike Sam again, but the Clavat moved nimbly to the side, and hit him with a thunder spell. Shocked, the king shook off the hit, and lunged again. This time he unbalanced Sam, who fell to the ground. The king loomed over him, spears raised.

"Any lassst wordsss, dead man?" he asked evilly. Sam just smiled.

"No, but I was going to ask you the same thing!" he shouted. "Now Star!"

"What!?" exclaimed the humongous reptile, whirling around. He caught sight of the Clavat girl hopping on the switch by Raust's corpse. He heard the faint buzzing sound right below him.

"NO!" he cried, as the saw emerged from beneath his feet, slashing and cutting at his body furiously. He managed to escape the cutting blades, and heaving with effort, he glared daggers at Star, and turned his gaze to Sam. "You…"

"That's right!" yelled Sam, laughing. "I lured you over to this spot. We didn't kill Raust because he was using the saws. We killed him so WE could use the saws."

The lizardman king was seeing red. His blood boiled with anger and his eyes glowed with malevolence. HOW DARE THEY!?

"YOU LITTLE BASSSTARD!" he roared, grabbing the Clavat with his teeth. With a mighty turn of the head, king hurled Sam directly at the cutting blades before Star stepped off the switch. The miserable fool had made a mighty mistake in thinking the king had been defeated. Sam screamed in pain as the blades slashed at him, but he was too weak to do anything about.

"YOU BASTARD!" The king's words were repeated, but this time they came from Star's mouth. She shot a Blizzara spell, and hit the king directly in his back. The king stumbled and fell onto the blades with Sam. Star quickly stepped off the switch.

Both Sam and the monster lay motionless. Were they both dead?

Then the long scaly tail of the lizardman king twitched, and he got up, bleeding heavily. He turned, forgetting about Sam, but staring directly at Star, who quickly cast a cure spell at Sam from afar.

"You ssstupid, little, BITCH!" he shouted, charging towards her. Star couldn't move. At the speed the reptile was moving, she couldn't have escaped if she wanted to.

"Any lassst wordsss?!" roared the king, thrusting his spears at her.

SHUNK!

Star stared in astonishment, as Sam took the hit in front of her. He was gasping for breath, and with the spear in his stomach, bleeding excessively. He glared at the king with hatred.

"You. Will. Not. Hurt her!" he managed to choke, spitting out a mouthful of red blood. But he couldn't even stand up, let alone defend Star. Sam managed to pull himself off the king's spear, and he fell to the ground.

The king laughed victoriously. "Fool. Making a pointlesss sssacrifice…oh well…I applaud the effort."

SHUNK!

The same noise that had been heard moments earlier rang out again. The king's eyes went from gleeful, to shocked. He looked down to find Star stabbing his body.

"You. Are. DEAD!" she screamed, yanking the blade out, and slicing him open. The king staggered backwards.

For a moment, he was silent. Then he let out a cry. He was wounded too terribly. The lizardman king stumbled and staggered around some more.

"I don't believe thisss," he shrieked in a violent fury. "I thought your killingsss of the othersss was jussst a fluke! You can't be thisss strong! I can't be defeated! I CAN'T!"

But his protests did not change a thing. With one last desperate hiss, the king fell forward to the ground, his jaws still parted in his last roaring scream. Star stared at the fallen king for just a moment, before turning to Sam.

"Sam! Sam!" she yelled desperately. Tears were pouring down her face. She put her head to his bloodstained chest. She heard nothing, but then…

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

"Star?" Star looked down, to see Sam's gentle brown eyes opening up. He struggled to sit up, and then stood on his feet.

"Sam, no! Sit down, you're not strong enough!" protested Star, still crying.

"It's okay…," said Sam, smiling weakly. He looked over at the dead lizardman king. "So he's dead, huh? Oh well. I'm just happy you're safe."

Wiping her tears off her face, Star threw her arms around Sam's neck and kissed him.

Sam's eyes widened. The moment seemed to last an eternity. But soon, Sam wrapped his arms around her, and started kissing her back.

"You had me…so worried," said Star in between the kisses. "I thought you were dead."

"I could've been…but I'm not," Sam responded. "Star…I love you."

Star's tears continued to fall, but they were now tears of joy. "I love you too, Sam. You don't know how long I've wanted you to say that," she whispered, holding him tightly. She felt so warm, so happy in his strong arms.

From the entrance of the battlefield, Ray entered, leading the others behind him. He looked around, first seeing Raust's corpse, and the dead lizardman king. He was about to call out to Sam and Star, but then saw him, in the center of the bloodstained battlefield.

Garrett's eyes were wide with shock, and Nieta's jaws dropped. Even Creston seemed stunned, but Mika was grinning triumphantly, with Lia at her side, nodding. Ray didn't say anything, but when Garrett tried to, he covered his mouth.

"Let them have their moment," he told the Lilty. "C'mon guys, they'll come out when they're ready. Let's go."

The rest of the caravan left the room, Garrett still trying to form a sentence. Sam and Star didn't notice. They didn't care about anyone else right now. All they cared about were each other.

Sam and Star eventually came out from the arena, and the gang proceeded to get their last drop of myrrh. Sam and Star sat in the back of the caravan, side by side, staring at the night sky, as Creston drove the caravan home.

* * *

Awwwwww! Done! And so is the third year.

Favorite Parts: Lizardman King speech and battle, and Sam and Star's first kiss/moment. Basically, THE ENTIRE DAMN CHAPTER.

So yeah…before we get to the juicy bits, let's discuss the honored monsters who died.

Lizardman King- I wanted to make him very smart, very strong, but a little too arrogant. The ace in the hole thing was good, thought. A good battle of wits.

Raust is now dead. Despite him being an important character, I didn't want to draw out his death like Snair's. However, I wanted some irony with the Lizardman King killing him. Originally, the king was going to kill him on purpose (Raust was accidentally going to hit him with saws), but I changed it.

OKAY! NOW TO THE PART EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR! Sam and Star are officially a couple now! Hurrah! Now we can just work on the rest of them. Sam and Star won't be getting so much attention for a while (seeing how Star had her character chapter, and Sam's isn't until Year Five). But later on, Rex will return (I HAVE CONFIRMED IT), and Sam's dreams shall continue.

And no, they were NOT having sex while the others waited for them to come out of the Court. Get your minds out of the gutter! They're not Mika and Ray, people!

Other than that, not really much else to say. But I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter. One of my favorite bosses, violence, and romance? What's not to love?

Next Chapter: Sam and Star are in true love, and they begin to cause other feelings in the characters to become more apparent. As the two Clavats stick together, other members of the caravan simply talk to one another, while coping with unsaid feelings.

Creston: Sam and Star were originally going to do this request, but due to, er, emotional kissing, they cannot. So I'll be doing it instead. Remember to review everyone!


	40. Celebration, Revelation

*searches through file cabinet* Here we are! *pulls out an author's note*

Do dishes, take out trash…whoops. Wrong paper. *pulls out different note*

Ah, and here we are! Another episode of this gloriously long fanfiction. We're hitting the 40th chapter mark this time around! And in probably 2 more chapters, we'll be hitting the 100,000 word mark!

Okay, in this chapter, it's pretty much fluff. Sam and Star are prancing around, like a pair of deer. But everyone else is in for a doozy. BEHOLD, LOVE POWER!

I will never say anything like that again.

Lizardman King: Why am I ssstuck in the author'sss note with THISSS fool?

Shut up! Let the people read in peace. *pulls out file with the chapter in it* Enjoy!

* * *

Garrett slumped against a wall. "I'm bored!"

Lianora gave him a confused look. "It's the night of the festival and you're bored?"

Nieta looked at her fellow Lilty as well. "It's a time of celebration, Garrett," she said, taking a bite from her food. "You should be enjoying yourself. They're having this whole thing in honor of us. In honor of you, Garrett, O mighty warrior."

Garrett rolled his hot blue eyes. "I don't like this. All these people admiring us. I'm happier bashing in faces, not looking at them. I'm happier cutting up meat, not eating it."

"You're happier with violence, not happiness," teased Nieta, grinning. "Come on, Garrett!"

The Lilty girl leaned against him. Garrett flushed red, and gave her a wide-eyed look.

"Are you drunk?" he asked, still dumbfounded. Nieta smiled. She knew she wasn't but…messing with Garrett was fun. Lianora was trying not to laugh.

"Of course not, silly," Nieta said, wavering from side to side. Then she leaned in close to Garrett. Garrett's eyes widened even further. "But if I was…"

Garrett didn't move. His brain couldn't process what was happening. Nieta's face kept getting closer and closer until…

_Whoosh._

"AHHHHH!" yelled Garrett, freaking out. Nieta and Lia were both laughing hysterically.

Garrett shook his head in anger and embarrassment. "Damnit Nieta, don't do that!"

Nieta wiped a tear from her eye. "You were so funny! You didn't know what to do!"

Garrett stormed off in an angry huff.

Nieta stopped laughing. Her face suddenly turned serious. "Oh no…I think I upset him…"

Lia shook her head. "He'll be fine. He knows it was just a joke. Besides, he likes you."

Nieta raised an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"It looked like you were about to kiss him, but if you didn't notice, he didn't move," said Lia, smiling behind her sallet. Nieta's face brightened instantly.

"You really think so?" she asked excitedly. Lianora nodded. Nieta let out a relieved sigh.

Lianora looked over at Garrett fondly. '_Sam and Star are together now_,' she thought. '_Now if you can just get your feelings off your chest, you and Nieta will be too_.'

* * *

Mika smacked Ray's hand. "Don't even THINK of stealing something off my plate."

Ray rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand. "Okay, okay, you don't have to hit me."

Creston rolled his eyes. "Look at you two, bickering like an old married couple," he said. "We've all agreed to stop fighting with each other. Did you forget that?"

"Well he's asking for it!" retorted Mika, taking a bite out of her fish.

"Oh, loosen up on him a little," said Creston, trying to break the aggravation of the two. "He did save your life after all."

"Well I- wait…what?" asked Mika, indignation turning to confusion. "What do you mean, saved my life."

Ray narrowed his eyes, and glared at Creston. "How did you know about that?!" he hissed quietly. "You were out cold!"

"Lia tells me many things," responded Creston, and Ray could just imagine his clever smile.

"Ray…what is he talking about?" asked Mika. Ray got up and walked away.

"Ray! Get back here!" yelled Mika, chasing after him. Creston chuckled.

"Oops," he said.

* * *

Sam and Star sat up by the cliff overlooking the ocean, watching the Stars above.

"The stars are so beautiful," said Star, sighing in appreciation.

Sam laughed softly. "They don't even compare to you," he said. "You're the most beautiful Star of them all."

Star blushed a deep red. She was about to respond, but a voice came calling down from the party.

"Sam!" called a young Clavat boy. Sam turned to see his younger brother running up to him.

"What is it, Max?" he asked, curious.

"Mom and Dad want to see you!" reported the boy.

Sam sighed. Parents. It was so like them to interrupt the moment. He looked down at Star.

"I'll be back," he promised. She smiled, and nodded.

* * *

"Ray Zul, get your ass back here!" shouted Mika, still running after him.

"Sorry Mika, speak up a little louder, because I can't hear you!" shouted Ray, covering his ears as he ran faster.

"DAMNIT RAY!" yelled Mika. She picked up a rock and threw it at him. She missed, and threw it through a window.

Ray stopped and turned around. "Oy! That's my house!" But Mika hadn't stopped, and Ray started running once more.

Ray dashed through the crowds of people around the crystal, managing to swipe a wallet here and there, and continued running. Mika ran as well, and this time she picked up a striped apple. As they were running down toward the fisherman's home, she whipped it at him.

This time she nailed him in the back of his stupid, long haired head. With a loud swear, Ray fell to the ground. He rubbed his skull groggily.

"What the hell- STRIPED APPLE!" Ray's annoyance became glee at the sight of his favorite fruit. Grabbing it, he munched down on it eagerly. He heard a scuffling near him. "Oh wait, Mika's still-"

WHAM!

"Get off!" shouted Ray, struggling as Mika pinned him down. He couldn't believe he fell for such an obvious trap. Stupid bait. Stupid apple. Stupid Mika.

Mika eventually subdued him. "Now explain what Creston meant!" she shouted.

"Alright!" snarled Ray. Mika glared at him and waited.

"You had been knocked out and...Lia, Nieta, and I hadn't been…so we were trying to escape…"

"Go on," urged Mika.

"And…Lia rescued Creston and Mog, while Sam was taken by Nieta, and I dragged Garrett and Star out. Then I realized that you weren't there and I…ran back in the mob to get you," Ray finished lamely.

Mika was stunned. Then she cracked a grin.

"That's so sweet of you!" she cried, laughing. Ray glared.

"Shut up!" he growled.

"And all this time you were a sarcastic bastard!" she crowed, wiping a tear from her eye. "But deep down, you're actually NICE!"

Ray glowered at her. "If you tell ANYONE-"

"They all probably know already, seeing that Creston does!" countered Mika.

"Okay, look, I'm not nice, okay…I was just saving the caravan, okay!? If you had died, everything would've gone wrong, and it'd be all over for-"

"You?" interrupted Mika slyly.

"The caravan," retorted Ray. "We'd have never recovered from the argument. And if we didn't, the caravan would fail, and I don't want to let my village down."

Mika leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Liar."

"Will you get off!?"

"I thought you liked this position?" asked Mika, grinning.

"Not right now!" said Ray. "And are you saying I'd be okay with letting my village down?"

"Well…what do you have left there?" asked Mika. Ray flinched.

"I don't mean that," said Mika quickly. "Although, a family member would be a good thing to ensure your loyalty to the village. But I'm sorry, what was the Selkie code? Always put yourself first, right Ray?

"Yes," growled Ray.

"Which you didn't do," said Mika, still smiling.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Ray. "I broke the code, I get it. And I bet now you think I'm a goodie two shoes."

"Not really…," said Mika. "I personally think it's kind of…sexy. You, doing something to save someone else, and breaking your rules in the process."

She gave him a seductive wink. Ray's eyebrows shot up. But then he smirked.

"Oh really…?" he asked, staring up at her. "Is that why you chased me down? To admit you have the hots for me?"

Mika grinned at him. "Ha. You wish!"

She suddenly heard running, and turned around. Garrett was coming down. He caught sight of them

"Hey guys, what're you- huh?" Garrett's eyes widened as he studied the scene before him.

Mika was on top of Ray, staring at him.

Ray was grinning like an idiot, and seemed like he was restraining himself from bursting with laughter.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" screamed Garrett.

"Garrett, it's not-" screamed Mika in protest, but Garrett turned away.

"I'll just…leave…," he said, eye twitching.

"Garrett, no…wait!"

Mika jumped off Ray, gave him a dirty look, and ran after the hotheaded and now mentally scarred Lilty. Ray watched her go. Then he let out a great shout of laughter.

* * *

"What was that?" remarked Lia, hearing a two loud screams, and a huge laugh.

Creston heard two, and remember the information he let slip in front of the two Selkies.

"Oh…it's probably nothing," he said, waving his hand as if dismissing the thought.

"So…how are you enjoying the party?" asked Lianora.

Creston remained silent.

"How am I doing, you mean?" he asked cleverly. Lia cringed. Creston could sense her embarrassment. Why would she be…oh. Now he understood.

"I'm fine," he said, raising his helm ever so slightly to nibble on a star carrot. "And yourself?"

"I'm good," the female Yuke replied. "Just enjoying the festival."

Suddenly, something tan and furry whipped past her. Lia looked in astonishment. Creston didn't even turn his head.

"What was-," began Lia.

"Mog had a little too much to drink, eh?" asked Creston, amused.

"Wait…Mog had…moogles can drink…but…he doesn't have any arms…I…Mog!" Lianora jumped up and ran after the blur that she had seen moments before.

* * *

Sam walked down to his family's house, his younger brother at his side. When he arrived there, he found both of his parents standing there.

"Well?" asked Sam curiously. "What is it? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Silence. Sam was starting to feel nervous.

Then his father grinned broadly. "So, I've heard that little Sam has grown up and found a fine woman," he said. Sam blushed. He hadn't been expecting _that_.

His mom gave a little squeal of delight. "Yes! Oh Sam, this is wonderful!"

Max stared wide eyed at his brother. "You got a girlfriend? No way! I'm gonna go tell Eloise!" And with that, he ran off.

"I can't believe this moment is finally here!" said Sam's mom in delight. "You've grown up so much." She ran forward and hugged him.

Sam laughed. "Yes Mom, don't worry. You're probably going to have grandchildren."

However, these words didn't have the effect he thought they would have. Instead of his mom laughing or acting delighted, she actually flinched and moved backwards. His father's face had grown unusually solemn.

Sam was REALLY confused now. "Wait…what's wrong?"

His father heaved a great sigh, and suddenly look many years older than he was. "I guess it's time we told you. You're not a boy anymore, Sam. You're a grown man. There's no need to hide the truth."

Sam gave him a blank look. "What do you mean?" asked Sam, anxiously.

"Sam…we're not really your parents…," said his father. "She's not your mom, and I'm not your dad. We're just your foster parents."

Sam was shocked. Everything he had ever known had come crashing down.

"Then…who am I?" asked Sam.

"You were the son of two members of an older Tipa caravan," said his father...no, the man who he THOUGHT was his father. "So was I, and I raised you…"

"But…my parents…what happened to them?" asked Sam.

"I don't know," his father said. "I knew them for a long while, but as for what happened to them, I just can't remember."

Sam felt dizzy, as if the world was spinning. His foster mother reached out and hugged him, steadying him.

"Sam…," she whispered. "Even if we're not your true parents…we always treated you as though you were our own…we never loved you less because of this."

Sam hugged her close. "I know, Mom…and even though you're not my true, actual parents…you ARE my parents."

His mother sniffed, wiping some tears away. "Thank you for understanding…"

"Don't worry," assured the Clavat. "I'm not angry. But thank you for telling me. But I have to be getting back to the festival now."

Both of his foster parents nodded. They both headed inside to get more supplies. Sam heaved a great sigh. This news had been a big blow to him. But he shook it off, and with a simple smile, he headed back to his beloved.

* * *

Done! Hurrah!

Favorite Parts: Mika and Ray's banter, and Sam's shocking revelation.

I screwed around A LOT with romance in this chapter. There are definitely signs of everyone (well…minus Creston) having feelings for someone else.

Garrett is such a lovestruck fool. XD

Okay…so onto more important aspects. Yes, Sam is an orphan. Hmmm…too bad his character chapter is the LAST ONE! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem. Sorry about that.

Well…I was thinking of doing a poem next chapter, just sort of describing the caravanners and their mission…but I might not. Comment on that in the reviews, people.

However, I'll still mention the next chapter.

Next Chapter: The caravanners set out once more, stronger than ever. But when they finally meet a mysterious warrior, and an even more mysterious poet, what will they do?

Ray: Ray is requestin' this time, ladies. Review, because you all know how sexy I am.

Garrett: And how much of an ego you have.

Ray: How can you not have an ego when you look like this?


	41. The Poet and the Knight

Woo hoo! Another joyful chapter of death. And hurrah! For this chapter, we shall hit the 100,000th word mark.

Basically the gang sets out. They meet Gurdy and the Black Knight. Shit goes down. Along with shameless fluff. Speaking of fluff…this year is the ROMANCE year. As I said, every year has a set theme. Last year was the conflict year, and this is ROMANCE. The remaining characters each get together in a different level this year. (You should be able to figure out which levels if you know the game well enough).

And yes, I know the Black Knight first shows up in the fifth year. But I'm speeding stuff up, mmkay?

Armstrong: And I'm here…why?

Me: Because I need a companion.

Armstrong: But what about the lizardman king?

Me: He's bullying the other kings. *painful cry is heard from afar* Better start the chapter so we can go help them. *chainsaws the screen in half to reveal a chapter*

* * *

It was morning in the small village of Tipa. The sun was just barely visible on the horizon.

The tall Yuke stood viewing a map, and occasionally drawing on it with his finger. He stood at the entrance of the town, as if waiting.

A female Selkie came walking down the path, her new Dual Shooter racket on her back. Her hair was being blown in the chilly winds of the morning.

One Lilty stood in a training area, striking at a dummy with his new spear, until he was dragged off by a second Lilty, who was telling him it was time to go, a moogle following after them.

The Selkie sat on the ground, next to the Yuke with the map. Smirking deviously, he tied a scarlet bandanna on his head.

A second Yuke appeared, carrying supplies on her back. She held the crystal chalice in her hand.

Finally, two Clavats came walking down with the village elder, holding hands. In a minute or two, they reached their waiting friends.

"Alright…," said Sam. "Let's go."

Everyone nodded and walked out of the village for the fourth time.

* * *

"Ahhh!" said Ray, stretching his arms. "It's good to finally be back out on the road again, eh?"

Garrett gave him a grin. "Ugh, I know. My spear needs to get some good ol' monster blood on it."

Nieta was beside him. "You're kind of psycho, aren't you?"

"Are you trying to start something!?" asked Garrett, immediately on the defensive.

"Uh…no," said Nieta, giving him a strange look. She decided to walk away, as Garrett realized his mistake.

Ray gave him a look with raised eyebrows. "If those are your tactics, then you're in serious need of help."

"Shut up, Ray," groaned Garrett, smacking a hand over his blushing face.

"Well, hey!" said Ray, throwing out his hands for emphasis. "You like her, man. If you want her, you don't only need the walk, but you have to talk the talk."

"No shit!" hissed Garrett angrily. Why had even told the Selkie? He should've asked Sam how he had hooked up with Star; but Star and Nieta were two completely different people, so…he had decided against that.

'_Just give her some flowers or something from the heart_.' He could almost imagine the Clavat leader's voice, telling him to give her a plant or something.

'_Because Nieta's totally a Clavat, Sam_,' he thought spitefully.

He glanced at Ray, who wrapped an arm around Mika, while Mika responded by pulling Ray in with a leg.

'_Figures that he gets the one that flirts back._'

Creston and Lia were sitting at the head of the steering wheel. But they were oddly…distant with each other. But from what Ray had told him, Lia definitely liked him. Maybe if Creston got off his high horse, they'd get together.

"Hey," came a voice. Speak of the devil, it was the Yuke himself. "There's another caravan up ahead."

Mika squinted forward with her sharp eyes. She groaned. Ray looked as well, and then mimicked Mika's groan.

"What is it?" asked Sam. "Danger?"

"I wish," sighed Mika, walking along.

* * *

"So…you're wearing your brother's clothes…why?" asked Star. The strange poet, Gurdy, was standing before them. However, he appeared to look different. He was wearing a set of yellow clothes, and he seemed to have dyed his hair blonde.

"Well…I just saw them hanging around outside…so I put them on…," explained Gurdy. "That's not stealing, is it?"

Both of the Selkies shook their heads. Nieta rolled her eyes.

"So…what's your brother like?" asked Creston.

"Oh…I've never met him…I've only heard about him," said Gurdy. "His name is Hurdy, and he's a preacher of some sorts."

"You've never met-" began Lia, confused, but the Leuda caravan that Gurdy had been travelling with started calling to him.

"I guess I must be going," said Gurdy, bowing to them for a moment. "But first, another poem."

'_Three rocks await the winter's kiss.  
One by one they seek their bliss.'_

Long after Gurdy had left, his words within the ominous poem still rang in Sam's mind.

"I know I've heard this somewhere before," he said, thinking hard.

* * *

"Interesting reunion," commented Creston to Lia. She nodded.

"It's very strange," she said. "There's something not right there."

Creston looked at her. "Like what?" he asked.

"Well, for instance, how does he know that those are his brother's clothes if he's never met Hurdy?" asked Lianora, looking back at her companion. "Anyone could have hung them there. And how would he know all those facts about his brother? How could he even know his brother's name?"

"He could've heard around," answered Creston, thinking. "But I find it unlikely. You're right, Lia. It is strange. You're a very clever girl."

Lia almost blushed. Creston complimenting her? Where did that come from? He had always been so distant and quiet but…was this his way of trying to emerge from his shell? To be friends with her? Maybe something more?

"Ray, I swear to god, you try and steal something from me again, I'll beat your ass!" shouted Garrett, breaking Lia out of her trance.

"Oh come on, short sprout," cackled Ray good-humoredly. "Lighten up. Live a little."

"I'll live a little, but you won't live much longer if you keep this crap up!" snarled the Lilty in reply.

Mika watched the two bicker with a sigh. But she knew Garrett's aggravation wouldn't last. That is, if he plucked up the courage to ask Nieta out on a date.

And on the subject of Garrett and Ray…why the hell had Ray saved her back in the hell pit known as Daemon's Court? Despite acting like she knew the reason, she really had no idea. She had asked Lia, who had told her that Ray had known the risks, but went in anyway.

She hadn't expected him to be so…selfless. When she had first met him, he was a jerk. A nasty, sarcastic, thieving, misbehaving, kind-hearted, handsome, lively, funny, sexy…

Wait. Back up.

Sexy?

Where the hell did _THAT_ come from?

Mika shook herself. Oh no, dear god no. She was not falling for Ray! Of all people, not him! And yet…she didn't think it was so bad…she might even enjoy it.

'No, Mika, no!' she cried in her head. 'Don't let yourself become lovesick like the other girls!'

But during her inner turmoil, her ears were still working, and she heard a noisy rustling in the bushes.

"Guys!" she yelled out. Just as she did, an armored figure burst from the bushes, slashing his spear wildly.

"Lia! Get down!" shouted Creston, pushing the female Yuke down as the knight sailed over them.

"Damn you!" shouted the warrior, leaping back and forth, spear in hand. He was covered in black and red armor.

Garrett's blue eyes widened at the sight of this person.

"The Black Knight," he whispered.

"Foul creature!" the man yelled, still attacking furiously. "Give me back my memories! You shall not have them!"

Star stared in bewilderment. He certainly wasn't talking to them…who was he talking to? And who was he trying to attack?

"No! Wait!" wailed the knight. Groaning in sorrow and frustration, he leaned on his spear to get some breath. Then he finally noticed his audience. He turned to Garrett.

"Oh…a caravanner…don't look at me like that!" he said. Garrett tried to form words, but managed only to make a spluttering noise.

"That light…thinks it has me beat…that my memories belong to it now…but they don't! I shall regain my memory!" declared the Black Knight.

"So don't look at me like that…," said the knight, starting to stagger off. "This battle isn't over yet."

The Tipa caravan watched the Black Knight leave them in silence.

* * *

"So that was the Black Knight," said Creston, sitting around the campfire. "You've met him now, Garrett. That'll be something to tell your kids."

Garrett wasn't sure if that was an insult or not, but he was too tired to argue.

"I wonder what was wrong with him?" asked Star. "Did he have a fever? Was he sick?"

"I highly doubt an ill person can swing a spear like that," chuckled Ray darkly.

"He kept mentioning a light," said Nieta. "What did he mean?"

"I don't know…," said Creston. "But I remember Armstrong mentioning something about a "taker of memories"…and the Black Knight yelled out something like that…so I'm guessing they're the same…the Black Knight has gone completely berserk trying to hunt this "light" down."

Sam felt a chilling jolt course through his body. A light? Sam had seen a light in his dream…

What did this all mean? But even though he didn't know yet, he could see all of the events of now and prior to their encounter starting to move in a strange pattern.

Maybe it had something to do with his origins.

And so, disturbed and questioning, the caravanners went to sleep.

* * *

Done! Ta-da!

Favorite Parts: The beginning and the Black Knight scene.

Not really much happened in this chapter, to be honest. I didn't think it was one of my best. But it was a good combination of romance and plot bunnies.

I've started tossing some major hints at Lianora and Creston, and at Garrett and Nieta. The thing is, Creston and Lia get together at the end of the fourth year, and I've made Creston act distant up until then, so I've got to get them closer so they don't just randomly get together. Garrett and Nieta have had their close signs so…I'm not worried about them.

So Gurdy and the Black Knight emerge. Hurrah! I've always liked the Black Knight. I did my best trying to remember the exact lines of the cutscene, but I think I failed somewhat. Lol.

Oh well, that's pretty much all for now. Have a happy holiday! And a great new year. Make it grand! Woo hoo!

Next Chapter: As bonds continue to grow, the caravan group eventually makes it to the Jegon River. When Tristan offers to take the caravan to Mount Kilanda, only two of the caravanners can go, due to lack of funds. Who are the two, and what adventure awaits them?

Nieta: I'm doing the review request. So review everyone! Review for Mog. It will help make him cuter and fluffier…or fuzzier…I really don't know what he is…


	42. Sailing away: To Mount Kilanda!

Welcome! Okay. Sorry about the lie last time. This time we REALLY hit the 100,000th word mark.

So in this chapter, more on Gurdy, more on the Black Knight, and two caravanners get sent to Mount Kilanda. Hurrah.

Not much else other than that. So uh…kick back, relax, grab your moogle, and enjoy.

*makes an explosion and disappears*

* * *

"Creston…I'd like to ask you something," began Lianora uncertainly.

Creston looked back at her as he carried the chalice through the miasma stream. "What is it?"

"I didn't want to say it in front of the others. They'd think I was crazy," explained Lia. Creston looked curiously at her. Lianora had been distracted when Creston took over the night watch, and she had been murmuring in her sleep. Sam had been, too, but he had been doing that for a long time.

"Go on," he urged.

Lia took a deep breath. "I think I saw something on Gurdy's back," she confessed.

Creston gave her a sharp look. "What? What do you mean?"

"When he walked away from us," Lia said. "I think I saw something clinging to him, or trying to hold on to him at least."

To her surprise, Creston didn't ridicule her. In fact, he struck a thoughtful pose, as if doing some quick calculating.

"Was it like a monster?" he asked. "There are some transparent ghostly wraiths out there- that would explain why some of the caravanners didn't no-"

"No, it wasn't like that, it was sort of…a light, of some sorts," said his companion wonderingly. "But still…it didn't radiate evil…it was strange. But the thing is…well, I thought it was a coincidence."

"What coincidence?" asked Creston.

"Didn't the Black Knight mention a light? He said something along the lines of chasing a light," remarked Lianora, puzzled. "Do you think-"

"That these two lights are connected? Perhaps," said Creston. "It's a likely hypothesis."

"Okay…phew…now I know I'm not going crazy," said Lia, with a relieved laugh.

Creston looked back at her. "I don't think I'd mention this to the others," he decided. "We don't want to start throwing out random theories."

"Alright," said Lia. She gave Creston a brief hug, as she pulled away awkwardly. "Sorry…I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," said Creston, with a touch of warmth in his tone. Strangely enough, he didn't mind that hug at all…it felt nice to him.

"Thanks for listening," said Lianora, before she walked away. Creston's eyes followed her.

"Hmm," he said, musing not only what she said, but what he felt.

* * *

"I swear to god, I saw something on his back!" shouted Mika indignantly.

Ray scoffed. "Right. And I saw the Black Knight wearing a skirt under his armor."

"Don't let Garrett hear you say that," said Star. "He seems to take the Black Knight very seriously. Almost like an idol."

"Because I'd want to have a psycho as my role model," stated Ray.

"You don't need a role model; you're psychotic enough," said Mika knowingly. Ray rolled his eyes.

"A psycho who didn't think he saw a light on some poet's back," retorted Ray. Mika growled and slapped him on the cheek. "Hey!"

The gang was currently taking a rest in Marr's Pass (like the three years before). Mika had claimed to see something clutching Gurdy on his back, which Ray thought was a lie. Sam had seen something similar, but he had thought it was a trick of the light. But now…

Sam looked over at the two. "Look, both of you…stop it…and Ray, I think I saw something too."

"See?" said Mika triumphantly. "Sam saw it, too!"

"I'm taking your word and the word of someone who was sick for over half of year," responded Ray sarcastically.

"Better than taking the word of an alcoholic," Mika shot back. Ray stood up.

"Ray," warned Star. "Look…I didn't see anything…but…I don't think we should argue about it."

The two Selkies still held twin leers.

'_Damn…he has nice eyes_,' groaned Mika in her head.

Both of the Selkies turned away and fold their arms.

"I'm…sorry," mumbled Ray as if he was being force-fed poison.

"Me…too," muttered Mika, wearing an expression as if she had smelled a Goblin corpse.

Sam sighed. It was going to be a long year.

* * *

Nieta looked over at Garrett. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

The warrior had been nearly silent all day. He hadn't even picked a fight with Creston or Ray, and hadn't even acknowledged Nieta's words of buying him a new spear to cheer him up.

"Yeah…fine," he muttered gruffly.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Nieta. "Are you sick?"

A grunt. Nieta assumed that was a no.

"Are you trying to be like the strong-silent type or something?"

A slightly more shocked grunt. Nieta only asked just to be funny though. Didn't work. She didn't even get a rise out of him.

"Is this about the Black Knight?" she asked, the light bulb in her brain flicking on.

A nod. Bingo.

"Why do you seem so glum about meeting him?" asked Nieta.

Garrett sighed. "Well…I always wanted to be a great warrior…like the Black Knight, and my dad…but…I don't want to end up like _that_."

Nieta gave him sympathetic look. "Well come on! Not all great warriors go mad. You're dad didn't."

"Are you kidding? He MUST'VE been mad if he wanted to become a miller."

A joke. Now they were getting somewhere.

"It'll all be okay. You'll see."

"If you say so."

* * *

After they left Marr's Pass, and after settling a dispute between the Marr's Pass caravan and Alfitaria caravan (who had both crashed into each other in the middle of the road), they arrived at the Jegon River. The miasma stream that lead to the Vale of Alfitaria, and none of the dungeons in the Vale of Alfitaria or the Plains of Fum had a dungeon with the earth element. So their only choice was to across the Jegon River, and venture into the Rebena Plains.

Tristan was leaning against the mast of his ship, when he saw the caravanners arrive.

"Ahoy there, young lads and lassies!" he greeted. "Back again for another year?"

"Yep…that's right," said Ray. "And we wanna go across."

"Well, the thing is," began Tristan, "I've been remodeling her, and she should be able to sail out farther now. In fact, I'm absolutely sure she can make it to Mount Kilanda."

"Mount Kilanda?" asked Sam, looking at Creston.

"A part of the Kilanda islands," explained Creston. "However, it is special because it is the only island to have a myrrh tree…as well as being a volcano."

"Well…okay!" said Star. "How much is it to pay?"

Tristan grinned. "Five-hundred gil."

Every one of the caravanners' jaws dropped (except for Nieta and the Yukes, anyway). The price to go across the river had just been increased tenfold. Tristan couldn't expect them to pay 4,000g.

"You're crazy if you think we have that kind of money," said Mika, putting her hands on her hips.

"Here you go," said Nieta, handing him some money. Tristan counted it carefully, then clapped his hands together.

"Come on board, miss!" he shouted. Nieta walked up on the gangplank and onto the ship.

"We can't let her go alone," whispered Sam to Ray. "But none of us have the money to buy ourselves a trip."

Ray looked at him. "Give me an hour in the city of Marr's Pass, and I'll snatch enough wallets to-"

"NO, Ray."

Tristan looked down at them impatiently. "Is that all who's going?" he asked.

"Okay…if we all put forth an equal amount, we can send someone else to go with her," said Lianora. "That way, most of us have a lot of money left over for the year. We just need a volunteer-"

"I'll go!" shouted Garrett, a little too loudly. Everyone stared at him, and then Mika shrugged.

"Why not?" she asked,

"Well…I think we should have someone who knows magic go with her…we can't just decide," said Creston.

"Fine then," said Mika. "I vote Garrett goes."

"I vote against that," said Creston.

"I say Garrett," said Ray. Mika nodded approvingly at him.

"I think he shouldn't," said Star uncertainly. "And Garrett, you can't vote for yourself."

"Neither do I," said Sam quickly. Garrett almost rolled his eyes. What a suck-up.

Mog flew over. "I get a vote, too, kupo!"

"Alright then," said Creston. "Who do you vote for, Mog?"

"Garrett," he said simply.

"Okay so it's tied..." said Creston. "That means Lia gets the deciding vote."

Lia wanted to wail out loud. Why had she waited last? Now she was torn between choosing between the person she cared about most, or doing a good thing for her best friend. What would she do? Why did she wait? Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

"Uh…Lia...you okay in there?" asked Ray, knocking her helmet. Lianora snapped out of her panic trance.

"Oh yes…of course," she said, shaking her head. Then with a sigh she made her choice. "I vote Garrett goes."

Creston, Sam, and Star seemed to be shocked. Lianora made a signal to Creston saying "I'll explain later".

The gang all fished out there money and handed it to the male Lilty. He walked forward and handed it to Tristan.

"There we go," said Tristan, nodding. He looked over at the moogle. "Moogles can board for free."

With a cheer of delight, Mog flew over and landed in Nieta's arms.

"Now then, listen," said Tristan. "You won't be able to get back to Marr's Pass without your chalice. I know that. But you can make up a camp here. There's a crystal in the river that will protect you from miasma."

((Author's Note: This is true. You can see it when he's sailing you to wherever you're going.))

"Ready to head out?" he asked his three passengers. All three nodded.

"THEN LET'S GO!" roared the captain, laughing good-humoredly, as he raised the sails.

The remaining six caravanners watched their two friends sail away into the ocean.

Creston turned to Lia. "So why did you-"

"Garrett and Nieta like each other," said Lianora. "This is the perfect chance for them to get together. And I just know it'll work."

"I hope so," said Creston. "Because Kilanda can be dangerous. I hope they'll be okay."

Lianora murmured in agreement, and the two Yukes watched the ship disappear in large seas.

* * *

Done. Yippee!

Favorite Parts: The awkward hug, the Selkies' apologies, the reaction to the sailing price, Lianora's panic moment.

So a good half of the gang saw something on Gurdy's back. What a coincidence that those last three have the last three character chapters. I assure you, this has no meaning; it just happened, seeing how Mika and Lia's chapters are completely irrelevant to the plot (UNLIKE SAM, YOU ATTENTION MAGNET).

So Garrett and Nieta head out to Mount Kilanda. *plays the titanic theme*

Why them? Well…fire…fiery Lilties…a warrior Iron Giant…warrior Garrett…IT WORKS!

Also, there will be some returning monsters in Mount Kilanda. Hee hee hee.

Next Chapter: Nieta and Garrett travel up through Mount Kilanda. Not only their fighting skills are tested, but also their magic and knowledge skills. Will they be able to make it to the end of the volcano, and if so, be able to make it to the myrrh tree from there?

Star: I'm reviewing this time. Please review, lovely readers.

Ray: How can she talk so kindly and be SINCERE.

Mika: It's called being nice to others. Learn about it.


	43. Scorching Heat, Hotter Battles!

Okay, we're going to skip the snazzy opening this time.

Garrett and Nieta go to Mount Kilanda and have a ball. 'Nuff said.

They'll have fun. Haha.

Also, a recurring monster appears: Knifeface, the goblin from Goblin Wall, makes an appearance once more, as well as his comrade Ragebreath (but has a very minor appearance). Also, later on in this area, Firetooth and Bonescratch reappear as well…just later.

So let's start the chapter already. Woo-hoo! Yippee! Okay, I've gotta stop doing that. :P

**00000000000000000**

Garrett was gasping as he leaned over the side of the ship. "I. HATE. THE OCEAN!" he roared, before vomiting over the side again.

Nieta patted him on the back, trying not to be disgusted. The Lilty had been seasick ever since they left the Jegon River. "I guess travel by water isn't your thing, eh?"

Garrett just let out another load, and cursed angrily.

"Oy. Seasick dog! Mind you, don't get any of your lunch on me ship!" shouted Tristan from up at the helm. "Oh, and also, we're just about here, so you had better get ready, eh?"

Nieta turned to face where the sailor's voice had come from. Her eyes widened as an island loomed before her. It was large, overflowing with rivers of lava, and smoke rose above the mouth of the volcano, giving the sky a foggy, reddish hue. So this was Mount Kilanda.

"Alright, barf boy," said Nieta, grabbing her spear. "Finish up, and the we go."

* * *

"Kupo!" screamed Mog, as an Ahriman carried him away.

Garrett groaned as he fought his Ahriman. This was the second time one of the one-eyed creatures had grabbed Mog. Nieta couldn't help him right now, as she was busy fighting a lamia, a cross between a woman and a snake, like Maggie at Moschet Manor.

The creature tried to cast a slow spell on Nieta, but she managed to roll out of the way, and threw a spear directly at the creatures arm. The arm was sliced off. Nieta then ran forward, and kicked the screeching monster over, before finishing it off with her spear.

Garrett was in trouble. He was horrible at casting spells. He could barely cast a fire spell, let alone a gravity spell. And if he didn't hurry, Mog would be Moogle-Sushi.

Garrett saw the Ahriman lunge for him, and moved back a second too later. He felt sharp talons slash at his body, as the Ahriman zoomed in for a second attack.

"Nieta!? A little help, here!?" he shouted in frustration.

"Can't you cast any magic?" asked Nieta, running over.

"No, I suck at magic!" retorted Garrett, trying not to feel embarrassed.

"Fine…have this," said Nieta, giving him a strange ring. Garrett raised an eyebrow.

"You think jewelry's gonna help me? I think you need to get your ears checked-"

"It's a fire ring, stupid!" growled Nieta, starting to become annoyed with him. "It helps you-"

But at that moment, the Ahriman tried lighting the two Lilties on fire. Both of them rolled back, with Nieta getting a burn on her left arm.

"Ow…," she said, rubbing her injury. Then she pointed to the lingering flames. "The fire ring helps you do THAT!"

"Well…how do we kill it?" demanded Garrett. "We'll need to use gravity to bring it down, RIGHT!? But if neither of us are good at magic-"

"We'll have to work together," said Nieta. "You cast fire, I'll cast thunder."

The two combined there spells, and the Ahriman plummeted to the ground with a screeching cry. Garrett ran over to it, stabbed it in the eye, and flung it off his spear. It landed far away in the ocean.

"Ha! Farther than last time!" he said, with a triumphant grin. Nieta meanwhile, was holding Mog. The moogle was sweating, and he had been moving slowly.

"It's…so…hot…kupo," he panted. Nieta understood what he meant (she may not have a Yuke's brain, but she was pretty good at figuring things out). She took out her spear, and pointed it at Mog.

"Hey, hey!" shouted Garrett, appalled. "What are you doing? We just saved the moogle, we're not gonna kill him!"

"No, you idiot," said Nieta scornfully, as she began to cut off Mog's fur. "We've got to cut off his fur. It's causing him to get tired easier. You'd be hot too if you had to carry a chalice in a warm fur coat at a VOLCANO."

"Fair enough, but you didn't have to fly off the handle explaining," muttered Garrett crossly.

"Let's keep going," said Nieta as she finished. "Our friends can't wait forever."

"Don't boss me-," Garrett began, but thought better of it. "Right."

Then his disgruntled look turned to alarm. "Nieta, watch out!"

"What-?" Nieta began to question her ally, but he shoved her out of the way, as his spear collided with the long nose of a blazer beetle.

"Get back!" snarled Garrett, swinging his spear and knocking the large insect backwards. He twirled the lance in his hand before bringing it down, slicing off the beetle's nose. The beetle responded by slashing at Garrett with its sharp claws.

Nieta watched in awe as her friend battled the creature. She had to admire his strength and bravery. Although lacking in the brains department, Garrett's strength, loyalty to his friends, and fairly cute looks made him a very appealing person.

Now if only he could see the fact that she was interested in him. THEN he'd be perfect.

Nieta sighed, but ducked as a beetle head came flying towards her.

"There," said Garrett, wiping off his hands. He walked toward her and held out a hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a strangely gentle voice. She nodded, and he pulled her up.

They began walking, until Garrett realized he was still holding her hand. He let go, feeling awkward.

Just in time, as two fiery red creatures ran out of the bushes. Two fire mus. As Garrett and Nieta ran forward to confront them, however, they were knocked back as the mus ran up to them with a surprisingly quick speed.

"Ugh…fast little buggers, aren't they?" commented Nieta. Garrett responded with a low grunt of agreement.

The mus charged again. Garrett, foreseeing the mus movement, struck his spear into the ground, as well as pinning the mu down on the point. The mu bit his leg feebly, and as he shook the rodent off, it died.

Nieta's mu pounced on her, and began to slash at her face. However, she grabbed it by the tail, and threw it backwards into the ocean, throwing it even further than when Garrett threw the Ahriman before.

Garrett watched wide-eyed. '_Damn…that girl has a good arm…I'd hate to have her pissed at me_.'

"Whoa, kupo," murmured Mog, as if reading Garrett's thoughts.

"Come on then, let's go, we don't have all day," said Nieta in surprisingly brisk tone. Cheerful, but brisk. Garrett and Mog shared a single look, then hurried after her.

Eventually they reached a dead end, with a blazer beetle. They disposed of the beetle quickly (Garrett managed to push it down the mountain) and found a strange sight: there was a hole with lava willing it, and an urn filled with water next to it. There was also a sign. Nieta walked toward the urn.

"Be careful," warned Garrett. "This could be a trap."

"I know that," she said, checking the urn carefully.

"Nothing in there? No sahagins or anything?" asked Garrett warily.

"No…this is weird," said Nieta, scratching her hair tuft. "What does the sign say?"

"Uh…lemme see," said Garrett, walking up to it. "'Should you wish to ascend higher, toss the urn into the fire.' What's that mean?"

"I don't know…let me think," said Nieta.

"I don't even know what abstain means," said Garrett.

"It says 'ascend', kupo," pointed out Mog.

"Whatever," groaned Garrett.

Nieta reread the sign, before clapping her hands together. "I get it! We toss this pot into this fiery hole. Then we get to travel further up the mountain."

"Are you sure?" asked Garrett, eyeing the pot dubiously. "How?"

"I don't know, but just trust me," she said reassuringly. Garrett looked at her certain eyes, and nodded. Nieta grabbed the pot, and with a grunt of effort, tossed it into the fire.

There was a loud rumbling sound, and before the two Lilties eyes, a part of the mountain rose up, creating another path.

"If the Yukes were here, I would ask them to explain how the heck that happened," said Nieta.

"Who cares?" snorted Garrett. "I know exactly what Creston would say. 'Isn't it obvious?'"

Nieta laughed. "That was actually a passable imitation. You're pretty fun to hang out with when you're not ticked off about something."

Garrett flushed, and looked away. "W-we should get going," he said in a flustered tone, changing the subject.

"Okay…let's go," said Nieta. She walked off, while Mog floated past him.

"You just missed a perfect opportunity, kupo," said Mog wisely. Garrett gaped at him. Damnit, even the MOOGLE knew about his feelings. And he was right; that could've been a perfect time to be flirty, and he screwed up.

He followed Nieta, smacking a hand over his face. "STUPID!"

They eventually arrived at another urn, but as Nieta was about to toss it in, a blazer beetle stampeded towards her and knocked it out of her hand.

"No!" she cried. She turned and struck the beetle, while Garrett hit it with a simple fire spell. The beetle backed away, but Nieta pushed it over a ledge. The monster fell into a pool of lava, its body dissolving with an unpleasant hissing noise.

"Now what do we do?!" wailed Nieta angrily, kicking the hole where she tried to place the urn. "Now we can't get any further."

Garrett looked around, and spotted another path. "Hey Nieta—we can go this way!"

Nieta looked over, and saw that Garrett was right. "You're right…I wonder why this one has multiple paths…"

"Beats me," said Garrett, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's probably because whoever made these puzzles thought that if a person could solve the first puzzle, they wouldn't need to solve the second one," theorized Nieta.

"Whatever…all of these puzzles are hurting my head," said Garrett, walking up the path.

"Funny how something so hard can get hurt easily," teased the female Lilty.

"Ha ha. Whatever. We need to keep moving…"

* * *

Knifeface cursed his bad luck, as he carried a sword to the top of the volcano. After he and Ragebreath had been driven out from Goblin Wall, is normally silent companion had gotten the bright idea to go to Kilanda, saying that it was a safe haven for goblins. In actuality, it offered renegade goblins a job: assisting and working for the monster in charge. Today, he was carrying his new master a sword; this only happened when the monster found a suitable opponent. So he was guessing that someone or something would soon be coming to duel with the man.

He looked way back, as he made it to the end of the large cave he was in. He saw two more goblins, one in the middle of the cave, and one at the beginning both struggling with swords. The one at the beginning was Ragebreath. Knifeface looked forward again. The path to the top wasn't far. He could wait. But then his eyes caught something.

What was that, behind his comrade? It appeared to be two Lilties that had just entered the cave…Knifeface looked closer. He recognized one: it was that male Lilty from Tipa, the one who had assisted in preventing the Goblin King's plan. The second one, he did not know. It was a girl, perhaps his lover, but…coming alone here together wasn't very smart.

Knifeface took in a sharp breath. They were armed, and as they moved closer to Ragebreath, he saw what was about to happen, right before it did.

"RAGEBREATH!" shouted Knifeface, earning many looks from the other monsters. "Run!"

Ragebreath gave a quick glance behind him, threw his sword with a shriek, and ran. But not quick enough. The Lilty surged forward, and struck Ragebreath in the back with his spear, before kicking him. Normally, this wouldn't kill a strong goblin. But it managed to knock Ragebreath into a large pit of lava, and he cried out as he landed in the molten depths.

Knifeface swore. As if he hadn't hated them enough before. There would be revenge for this foul murder. Walking off as quickly as he could, he carried the sword to Mount Kilanda's ruler.

"Shit," swore Garrett, as all of the monsters were alerted of their presence. "We've got a long fight ahead of us."

Their first opponents were a coeurl and an Ahriman. Working together, Nieta and Garrett made the Ahriman fall into the lava pit that Ragebreath had been pushed into. The coeurl was also easily dealt with, as Garrett and Nieta came at it from opposite sides, skewering the poor feline on their twin lances.

As they ran in further, they met two more Ahrimans, and an ogre. The Ahrimans flew forward and shot slow beams at the two of them. Garrett was hit, while Nieta managed to avoid the attack. Together, they managed to take down one Ahriman. But they were left completely unprepared for the ogre's attack. Looming over them, he swung his hammer down at the sluggish Garrett, sending the Lilty rolling across the rocky ground.

"Garrett!" yelled Nieta. Forgetting all about the monsters, she ran over to him. The Ahriman swooped down, but missed, and crashed into the ground. Nieta grabbed the stunned body, stabbed it, and threw it at the ogre to keep it distracted. The ogre swatted it away with a single large fist.

Nieta kneeled by Garrett, who was moaning and rubbing his head. "Garrett…here, eat this…"

She gave him a large chunk of meat and some spring water. Eventually, the Lilty got to his feet.

"I feel like I have a constriction," he moaned.

"That's a **concussion**," pointed out Nieta bluntly.

"Whatever- WATCH OUT!" cried the hotheaded Lilty. Nieta turned to find the ogre towering over her and Garrett. She watched as another ogre started running towards them, along with a coeurl and- yup, you guessed it, another Ahriman!

The ogre raised its hammer, and Nieta waited for the deathblow.

It didn't come. Nieta looked up as the ogre howled in pain; Mog had dropped the chalice and was kicking the monster in the face. The moogle was far too weak to bring down the beast, but he had done what he had meant to: Nieta and Garrett had time to move.

Garrett rolled behind the first ogre, as the monster sent Mog flying away with a vicious punch. He stabbed the ogre in the back.

"Pain!" groaned the ogre. "Dead." With those last two words, the dull red monster fell over. Meanwhile, Nieta had killed the coeurl (although it had frozen her with a blizzard spell, and she had been burned by the Ahriman as well). She and Garrett were about to cast gravity together, when a rippling shockwave knocked them both off their feet. The ogre struck the ground with his hammer, creating another shockwave.

"Stupid thing!" shouted Nieta. She hurled her spear at the ogre, but it caught it and threw it back at her. Nieta managed to catch as well.

Garrett ran forward, dodged the Ahriman's slow laser, and struck a devastating blow by bringing his spear down on the ogre's head. Before the ogre had time to react, Garrett shoved his spear into the ogre's throat, bringing the monster to its knees. Garrett tore his spear from the creature, and it fell to the ground, dead.

The last Ahriman was easily dealt with, and Nieta looked over to where Knifeface had ran off. There was long path, bathed in a warm light.

Garrett walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Nieta blushed slightly at the contact.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Nieta was bemused again. This caring voice was so much more different than his usual, gruff, aggressive tone.

"Thanks for saving me back there," he said. "You too, Mog."

Mog, who had picked up the chalice one more, nodded. "No problem, kupo!"

"Okay then," said Nieta. "I saw a goblin with a sword up there…he probably went to go see his boss or something…let's take that path."

* * *

Yikes. Violent chapter! Lots of fighting.

Favorite Parts: Garrett's seasickness, Nieta noticing Garrett's gentler side, and the Knifeface moment/Ragebreath death.

Alright, as usual, during monster's death scene, I disucss them. Although I will mention, I LOVE Knifeface as a character. He's probably the smartest goblin (maybe even smarter than the Goblin King).

Ragebreath- He was basically a silent goblin, although he cursed angrily once (which led to his name). I made him and Knifeface live in Goblin Wall. Originally, Ragebreath was going to have died on their voyage to Mount Kilanda, and Knifeface was going to die in this chapter, but I decided to change it around, and give Knifeface a sort of "avenger vendetta".

This was a fun chapter to write, although with the lack of different types of monsters in this level made it very repetitive (they had to continuously use gravity to kill the five or six Ahrimans they encountered). It was very action-packed, although there are twinges of awkward romance thrown in the mix. Love doesn't explode doesn't explode until during and after the Iron Giant battle.

Next Chapter: The Lilties face many difficult trials at the top of Mount Kilanda, facing the mighty Iron Giant. The two are also attacked by two different vengeful monsters, while Garrett finds an interesting scroll. Be prepared for an action-packed (with a tablespoon of love!) chapter of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles.

Nieta: I guess I'm reviewing. Just review, guys! Because the author loves it when people find his mistakes.


	44. The Reason for Fighting

Welcome to yet another chapter. You've probably gotten sick of these little author notes by now, and some of you want to KILL me! :D

So basically, the Lilties fight the Iron Giant (no, not the friendly chap from the movie)! Fun, fun!

Oh and Raem is finally mentioned in this chapter, as well as two chapters later, because the Iron Giant is portrayed in a rather different way: like Armstrong, he has not allied with Raem.

Returning monster Knifeface is here again. And Garrett finds something thing really COOL!

So really…Garrett and Nieta get some major romance points. Whoopee!

Other than that…well…nothing other than that. Get reading…OR ELSE!

* * *

At the summit of the volcanic island, Mount Kilanda, stood the Iron Giant, overlooking the lava-flooded isle.

The Iron Giant was different from most monsters. For one, he was a very advanced specimen. He was made of metal iron armor, and was protected from head to toe. He wore a helmet with a large horn on it, and he had gleaming red eyes that showed great strength and intelligence. He also had a large sword in his hand.

Another strange thing about the Iron Giant, is that he did not have anything against the caravanners and people of the world. Out here, on this heated isle, far away from society, it didn't matter. Unlike the Goblin King, who feared the king of monsters, or the Lizardman King, who knew his place and obeyed the king, the Iron Giant did not. Also, the Iron Giant, like the Lizardman King, knew what Raem's plan was really all about. He just didn't care.

Raem. The king of all monsters. And yet…he could not control the Iron Giant. The Iron Giant would not send his creatures to attack caravanners, using the island as an excuse. Raem would often get angry with him, and threaten to kill him, but it was all just a mere façade: Raem would not kill him, for then the myrrh tree would be left unguarded.

And the Iron Giant only guarded the tree for his own reasons. And that reason was merely because it attracted caravanners. And caravanners offered a battle.

The Iron Giant was a monster of battle. A monster who loved to have battles, no matter how difficult they could be. And many battles were difficult, as only the bravest caravanners would travel to Mount Kilanda.

Of course, the Iron Giant didn't battle just anyone. He set up puzzles for the challengers to solve, and placed many monsters, all different kinds, throughout the paths and caverns of Mount Kilanda. If they made it to the Iron Giant, he would let them challenge him, in a battle to the death. If they won, the myrrh tree was there's. If not…they would die.

The second situation was much more common. The Iron Giant had many trophies from fallen fighters. He would burn their armor and weapons in the lava, and then add the melted metal to his own armor, reinforcing it, and making him stronger.

The Iron Giant had seen the latest challengers. And he was intrigued. Though there were only two of them, they had made a large dent in his forces. He couldn't wait to fight them.

He heard someone call to him across the mountain top. Turning, he saw a mage goblin leading two red goblins holding swords.

Firetooth bowed to his master. "M'lord, here are your swords for the battle," he said in a flattering tone.

The Iron Giant was not deceived. "And where is the third?"

"I- that is to say- Ragebreath was killed by the Lilties, sir," said Firetooth, trembling and stuttering. "He dropped your sword-"

"And why didn't you bring it?" asked the metallic monster menacingly, his red eye gleaming. Firetooth was sweating now.

"I-I-," Firetooth tried to form words, but failed miserably.

"My orders were to bring me my swords," said the Iron Giant. "It matters not who brings them. Simply follow the order."

"My…my lord?" asked Firetooth. The Iron Giant clenched his hand around his sword.

"Where is it?" he asked calmly.

"I…I don't have it, sire," said Firetooth, calming down after hearing the Iron Giant's level tone.

"A shame." The Iron Giant swung his sword, sending Firetooth flying through the air, over the side of the mountain.

Knifeface was watching, holding his sword, before he heard a sickening crack. Dropping his sword, he and the other goblin ran off. However, before he completely ran off, the caravanners emerged from the cavern that led down below. Deciding to stay and watch the battle, Knifeface hid behind a rock, and peered out behind it.

He wanted to watch the Lilty scum that had killed Ragebreath get destroyed.

The Iron Giant looked down at his opponents.

"Be careful, Nieta," he heard the male Lilty whisper.

"It is time," stated the Iron Giant, as he walked toward them.

* * *

Garrett looked up as the massive monster walked towards them.

"Greetings," the monster said, bowing. "I am the Iron Giant. What brings you to Mount Kilanda?"

"We're here for the myrrh tree," answered Garrett, trying not to be nervous. "Why else would we come to this wretched place? It's hotter than hell itself!"

"Really? Wretched?" asked the Iron Giant. "I personally find the heat rather comfortable. But then again, I've been here for a very long time. Many years go by, and you get used to things."

"Well…you're not just going to let us have the tree, are you?" asked Nieta.

"You already know the answer to that. Why ask the question?" asked the Iron Giant. "You must fight to get what you want, young Lilty. I will not cower before you and give you what you demand. We will battle for the myrrh tree like civilized people."

"Why do you want the myrrh tree so badly?" asked Nieta. So far, every monster had given them a different answer to that question. The Orc King said he needed it, but Armstrong said that he simply kept it in honor of the fallen Tida villagers.

The Iron Giant pondered for a moment. Then he responded. "I do not want the myrrh tree. It does not matter to me whether you take it or not."

"Then why don't you let us have it?" asked Nieta.

"You fight because you want something. You want the myrrh tree," explained the Iron Giant. "I fight because I want something. I want the thrill of battle."

"You mean…you just want to fight for the sake of fighting?" asked Garrett incredulously.

"What else to I have to do?" asked the warrior monster, raising his sword.

"Now then…there are three of you, including your moogle friend, so two of my subjects shall fight with me," said the giant. He snapped his large fingers. Two mage goblins crawled over the sides of the volcano.

Garrett recognized one. "Hey…that mage goblin is from Goblin Wall!" he whispered, nudging Nieta.

Bonescratch recognized the Lilty. He had helped destroy the goblins' plan to take over Tipa. But he was also the reason Firetooth was dead. Bonescratch would return the favor.

"Alright then, warrior lad," he crooned, grinning with his crooked sharp teeth. "This'll be fun!"

The second goblin chuckled and gave a shrill laugh. Nieta shivered. This wasn't going to be easy.

The Iron Giant bowed once more. "Let us begin," he said.

The Iron Giant swung his sword in a wide arc, knocking both Garrett and Nieta back. Nieta was further injured by Bonescratch casting a fire spell. But she was not to be defeated. She managed to catapult herself at the other goblin with her spear, and slashed at it viciously. The goblin tried to cast a spell, but it failed, instead blowing itself up in the face. Nieta rolled her eyes, and severed the goblin's head easily.

The Iron Giant was not going to let her have her way, however. He swung his sword at her, and sent her flying across the summit.

"Now…where is the other one?" he asked, looking around.

"Here!" came a shout. The Iron Giant turned quickly. He saw Garrett flying at him, swinging his lance down right for the Giant's head.

The monster reacted quickly, however, moving to the side so the weapon only struck his armored shoulder. With a low grunt of pain, the Iron Giant tried to slash Garrett, but Garrett blocked it with his spear.

"Not bad," commented the monster, red eye gleaming. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Swinging the blade once more, this time Garrett didn't block the hit in time. With a painful cry, the Lilty was slammed right into the ground, and was zapped by Bonescratch's lightning spell.

"Garrett!" she cried. She looked over to see the mage goblin jeering at the fallen Lilty.

"I've had it with you!" she snarled, hurling her spear at the goblin. Bonescratch sneered, and ducked. The spear soared over his blue head. He looked over to see where it landed. Then he turned to Nieta.

"Nice try, girlie, but- WHAT!?" Bonescratch's taunt turned to a fearful exclamation, as he saw Nieta raised a fist running at him.

WHAM! Bonescratch flew backwards, sliding across the ground.

Garrett, meanwhile, was struggling to his feet. But then he saw the Iron Giant's sword rise.

"Oh no," he groaned, trying to move. The blade started to swing down.

Knifeface watched from afar, a twisted smile emerging on his scarred face. "Here we go."

Garrett managed to roll out of the way just in time, as the weapon crushed the earth beside him. However, the force of the blow sent Garrett rolling across the landscape. He got to his feet, panting. He was hurt, but not done for yet.

Knifeface clenched a fist. "That's it…I'm going to get involved."

The goblin started to sneak down towards the arena.

Bonescratched scrambled to get to his feet. Crawling away to the sides of the battle, he hid behind a rock. Looking at Garrett, whose back was turned, he smirked.

"Time to die, Lilty boy," he crooned wickedly. However, someone grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, and he felt a blade at his throat.

"What…how did you sneak behind me, girl- Knifeface!?" cried Bonescratch, as he figured out his attacker was his old fellow goblin. But before he could ask any further questions, he felt a sharp pain in his throat. As it was slit open, the red goblin dropped him.

Bonescratch looked up at Knifeface with hatred. "W-why did you…?" he managed to croak out.

"No hard feelings," said Knifeface coldly, wiping off his cutlass. "But that Lilty boy, Garrett, is MINE!"

Bonescratch was going to make a nasty retort, but choked on his increasing blood. With a last cough, his eyes glazed over, and he died.

Knifeface's eyes stared down at him with contempt, before watching the ongoing battle.

Garrett lashed out with his spear, striking the Iron Giant in the torso. The giant responded by swinging his sword down again. Nieta struck the monster with her spear as well, but he managed to hit her away. Once they were both out of range, the giant swung his sword, sending a ring of energy at Nieta. Nieta let out a yell of shock and pain as she was hit.

"Nieta!" cried Garrett, about to run over to her. But he didn't want to abandon his battle. That could mean the end of both of them.

"Always keep an eye on your opponent," came the Iron Giant's voice. Garrett looked up to see the blade descend.

Nieta was lying on the ground, her body aching in pain. Mog flew over.

"Are you okay, kupo?" he asked worriedly. Nieta nodded.

"I'm fine," she assured.

CRUNCH!

"What…," Nieta gasped out, looking over to the battle. She let out a shocked yell.

Garrett stood, panting heavily. His left arm was crushed by the Iron Giant's weapon.

"Garrett!" she cried.

"I'm fine!" he shouted angrily, wincing at the incredible pain. "I'm okay."

"I'm surprised you can even still stand," said the Giant. "You are strong. Most would succumb to such a move. However, you are not strong enough to beat me, it seems."

"Always keep an eye on your opponent," said Garrett, grinning. Suddenly, the blade shattered, and Garrett's arm was free.

"What!?" shouted the giant, sounding genuinely surprised.

"You shouldn't throw your weapons weight around so much!" shouted Garrett. "That's how things break. The force of your swinging, plus the hardness of the ground, plus the heaviness of the blade equal one thing! It'll break eventually."

The Iron Giant was shocked. He normally kept more swords around in battle, just in case he was disarmed, but never before had his sword been broken. It must've been its age. That weapon had been worn down by time.

"I might lack a sword, but I do not require a weapon to defeat you!" retorted the giant. He moved back a little, then hurtled toward Garrett at a surprisingly quick run. Garrett tried to move, but was still weak from the blow before. He was hit, and was sent rolling towards Nieta.

"Garrett!" cried Nieta, helping him up. Focusing her mind, she cast a simple cure spell on him.

"There, all better?" she asked.

"Not if we don't move!" yelled Garrett, pushing Nieta out of the way. The Iron Giant ran past both of them.

"Okay…we've got some distance from him," said Nieta with a relieved sigh. Garrett nodded.

"That's good…now we can observe our enemy before he- GAH!" shouted Garrett, as sword sliced at him. He crawled away, clutching his cut arm.

"What the-?" exclaimed Nieta. She saw a goblin with a wicked cutlass clutched in his hands, his eyes sparkling with delight and sadistic intent.

"You've killed my comrades before, warrior boy," said Knifeface, stepping toward Garrett in a predatory way. "Now, let's settle the score, eh?"

Garrett glared at Knifeface, remembering this old enemy. It was impossible to tell which face showed more hatred. Garrett leaped to his feet, and swung his weapon at the goblin avenger. Both weapons clashed viciously against each other, but Garrett was weakened. Knifeface was going to win if this kept up.

Nieta didn't know what to do. There was no way she could reach Knifeface in time. And even if she could, she saw the Iron Giant start to run towards them. They would all get hit if she didn't think fast.

Then something caught her eye. A blue pot was filled with water. Nieta ran over to it, and spotted a similar hole like before. Without a second thought, Nieta tossed the vase into the fire.

_Sssssss._

A hissing sound came from the flaming hole, and a burst of infernal steam exploded from its depths. Nieta ducked just in time, but felt the steam sear her hair.

Knifeface looked over, just in time to see the burning vapor come at him. Garrett managed to move to the side just in time.

"ARGH!" he howled, clutching at his face. Stumbling away, his body fell over in a heap. He dropped his cutlass, and did not move.

He wasn't the only one hit, however. The Iron Giant, who had been running forward, stopped and tried to shield himself with his metal arms.

"Why you-!" he roared. "You'll pay for this!"

But instead of trying to charge at them again, the Iron Giant raised his fists. Nieta was confused, until she saw lightning surge through them. She tried to move away, but the Giant was quick, and punched the ground. Instead of being hit by a fist, Nieta was hit by the shockwave made by the blow.

Garrett caught her, sliding backwards on the rocky ground.

"He's tough, huh?" said Garrett, putting her down gently. Nieta nodded in agreement.

"But he's lost his sword," she said. She smiled at Garrett. "We can handle him!"

Both of the Lilties dashed forward, while the monster himself ran toward them. Nieta unbalanced him with a blow to the side, while Garrett hit the monster's giant head.

"I have not fought in a battle like this for a long time!" declared the Iron Giant, punching Garrett away from him, as Nieta slashed him in the back. He didn't want to show weakness, but these barrages of attacks were starting to wear him down a bit.

"Well then…let's take this up a notch!" he said, jumping backwards. Garrett and Nieta finally noticed the two other swords on the mountain.

"Oh no…he has spares!" shouted Nieta in realization. Garrett swore, and spit out some blood from his mouth.

"We can still handle him!" shouted the male Lilty, as both of them ran forward. The Iron Giant launched another energy ring at the two, but Garrett slid under it, with Nieta behind him. Nieta hopped on Garrett's spear, and he flung her in the air, over the giant. The creature followed her, turning around to watch her land, but forgot about Garrett behind him. The Lilty thrust his weapon into the monster.

"Ugh…," groaned the Iron Giant, letting out a low moan of pain. He wrenched Garrett's spear from his body, and attempted to knock Garrett away, but missed. Nieta tried to attack him again, but he parried the strike with his sword. Garrett stabbed him from the left part of his back again. Nieta lunged forward, and the Iron Giant dodged again.

He foresaw the next attack. He swung his blade behind him, hitting Garrett right in the stomach. The warrior's eyes bulged for a minute in shock, as he flew through the air, and over the edge of the mountain.

"GARRETT!" screamed Nieta hysterically. She tried to run to him, but the Iron Giant's eyes were fixed on her, and he barred her path.

Garrett was hanging on the edge of the volcano, wincing in pain as he clung to the heated stone. He was weak; he couldn't hold on much longer.

Nieta tried moving past the giant, but he swung his blade down at her. She dodged, but her eyes widened at her luck. The blade had shattered!

Garrett gritted his teeth, trying to crawl up the side, but to no avail. With one last grunt, he released the side of the volcano, waiting for the pain of his fall.

It didn't come. Garrett felt a firm grip around his wrist, and looked up to see Nieta holding him, as well as holding the edge of the summit.

"I've got ya!" she yelled, pulling herself up, and him afterward. Nieta looked at him.

"Thanks...," he said, panting. He looked back at her. Their eyes met. Slowly, both of them started to lean in close…

BAM!

Garrett's eyes stared in astonishment as Nieta's body slid across the battlefield. The Iron Giant took his time to retrieve his final sword. As soon as Nieta had climbed back up…

"I warned you, foolish Lilty," said the Iron Giant, stepping over toward Nieta. "Always keep an eye on your opponent."

Garrett looked over at Nieta still. She was still in the chalice's barrier, and so was he. However, it seems that Mog had been knocked out by the Iron Giant during Nieta's rescue.

The Iron Giant took another step towards Nieta, and Garrett's mind returned to earth.

"Don't get near her!" shouted Garrett, struggling to remain upright. "She's down. Both of our comrades our. You're fight is with me now!"

"My comrades are dead. Yours are not. But I'm afraid I said this was a battle to the death," said the Iron Giant, looking back at Garrett with a sense of slight confusion. "You agreed to these terms, yes?"

"But I…don't…take me," pleaded Garrett weakly. The Iron Giant looked back at him, intrigued.

"Ah…is it love, young boy?" asked the Iron Giant. Garrett, despite the situation, blushed red.

He looked over, to make sure Nieta was out cold. "Well…yeah…but…I…yes, I love her okay!?"

The Iron Giant looked at him curiously. "I have seen many a fool die for the sake of love…why is that? I'm afraid this metal heart of mine doesn't feel a thing. Anything at all."

"Well…I used to be like you," said Garrett, swallowing. "I used to just want to fight, to kill, to feel strong. I thought that was the way to become the greatest warrior."

"It is," said the Iron Giant simply.

"No...," said Garrett, shaking his head. "I realize now…it's not about fighting…it's about what you're fighting for! And it's finally come to me! I'm not fighting for myself anymore! I'm fighting for my village, my family, my friends…and her."

The Iron Giant looked over at him still, with that same curiosity. "What is your name, boy?"

"Garrett," answered Garrett, simply.

"I will remember that name," said the Iron Giant. "I have never met such a brilliant fighter…and such an idiotic fool."

Garrett's eyes sparked with anger. "What!?"

"I really did not care what you had to say. I just was curious to hear your reasoning. But as I said, it is time to end this," said the Iron Giant. He raised his blade over the fallen Nieta.

Garrett's eyes smoldered. And suddenly, he was seeing red.

If someone saw the killing intent in his face, they'd run away screaming. With a terrifying roar, Garrett leapt at the Iron Giant. The Iron Giant whirled around, sword in hand.

There was one slash. Both of the warriors still stood with their weapons drawn. Then slowly, the Iron Giant fell over onto his stomach. No last words to be said.

Garrett gave him a quick look, then looked over at Nieta. Mog had awoken, and was crouching beside her.

"Is she okay!?" asked Garrett. Mog nodded.

"It was very close, kupo," said Mog quietly. "But I think she'll be okay."

"Don't worry guys, I'm alright," said Nieta, pulling herself upright.

Garrett looked at her guiltily. "You're in that condition because of me," he said sorrowfully.

"It doesn't matter," she said, coughing. "You did it, Garrett…you won."

"I didn't…we did," replied Garrett simply, smiling slightly. Nieta smiled in return.

"I'll go get the myrrh," said Garrett, running off.

Nieta sat with Mog, looking thoughtful. Mog looked at her knowingly.

"You saw the whole thing, didn't you, kupo?" asked Mog. Nieta was hesitant, but nodded.

"At first…I thought it was scary," Nieta admitted. "But when I thought of the fact that…he did all of that for me…showed that burning desire to protect me…I just…thought he was so brave."

"Well…he really cares about you, kupo," said Mog.

While the two were talking, a scarred opponent gathered to his feet and moved towards them.

Garrett watched the myrrh fall into the chalice. "Two more trees to go," said Garrett softly. He was about to leave, when he caught sight of something. It was a scroll labeled 'Celestial Weapon'. He looked inside of it wonderingly.

"The Spear…Lance…whatever…of…Longinus?" he repeated awestruck. He had heard legends of it. It was apparently one of the strongest spears in the world! He looked at the materials needed…Orichalum…he didn't have that…Dragon Fang…where would he get that?...and a Red Eye? Well the Iron Giant had red eyes, so that worked out perfectly.

A shrill scream broke the quiet calm. Garrett immediately turned around, taking the chalice with him.

"Nieta! I'm coming!" he yelled. He made it back to the clearing where the Iron Giant's body was still lying. Garrett's tired brain tried to register the sight before him.

Mog was lying stomach down, as if he had been knocked out once more. The goblin, Knifeface (now hideously burned and scarred), was holding Nieta in his burnt arms. His cutlass was at her throat.

"Well then…this is sad, isn't it?" asked Knifeface mockingly.

"You want to kill me, not her," said Garrett. "Face me like a man."

"But I'm not a man," countered Knifeface, that wicked gleam still in his malevolent gaze. "I'm a monster. Men want to kill their opponents. But monsters just want to watch them suffer. And I know the best way to do that!"

Garrett stared. "Kill me in her place," he said for the second time that day.

"Garrett, he'll just kill me afterwards!" she shouted. "Don't sacrifice yourself!"

"It doesn't matter, I don't like to bargain," said Knifeface, still holding the blade against Nieta's pale neck. "Say your final goodbye, boy."

Garrett stared on helplessly. What could he do?

Knifeface brought the blade back, and was about to swing it, when.

"Grargh!" he snarled, as Mog surprised him by kicking him in the nose. The goblin released his captive, and swung a vicious punch at Mog, sending the furry moogle flying. Garrett ran forward and knocked Knifeface away from Nieta. Knifeface swung his cutlass in response, giving Garrett a bad cut.

"This won't be easy…," he muttered. "This goblin…Knifeface, I think…is a lot smaller of a target than that stupid Iron Jerk!"

Knifeface lashed out again, knocking Garrett over. Garrett dropped his spear, and made a grab for it, but Knifeface kicked it away.

He raised his curved blade. "Ah, how fate works for us, and against us. You defeated a monstrous foe, only to fall to a lesser one. How ironic!" shouted the goblin. "DIE!"

SHUNK!

Knifeface looked down at his chest, to see a large rock in it. In a flash, the rock was in his throat. He realized that there was a sharp edge on it. He looked down at Garrett, eyes wide.

The Lilty's arm was extended, holding the rock in its place, as Knifeface bled. Knifeface felt his throat, and looked down at the blood on his hands.

"How did you…?" asked Knifeface.

"Not my fault," said Garrett. "You talk too much. You've gotta realize, a spear doesn't make a warrior. It's just the ability to fight…with anything you can."

Knifeface gave him a cold glare. "I hate you," he said, before he spat up a large amount of blood, and fell on his back, eyes, and body, dead.

Garrett got up, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "That was close," he said. He walked over and plucked an eye from the Iron Giant's head.

"Thanks," he said, simply. Stealing something from a fallen enemy? Ray would be proud.

He turned to find Nieta looking at him. Tears were in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked, giving her a weird look. Nieta just continued to stare, before running over and hugging him. Garrett was shocked, not only by the hug, but by the fact that she was laughing!

"We did it!" she shouted, laughing and crying still. "We did it!"

Garrett wrapped his arms hesitantly around her, and then he started laughing to. He was bloody, wounded, and hurting, but he was laughing. What had the world come to?

After a few more minutes, the two of them decided to head back down to the dock. Tristan would be waiting.

* * *

RARGH! THIS CHAPTER WAS A LOT LONGER THAN I WANTED! BUT GOD DAMN! IT WAS INTENSE!

Favorite Parts: Well…it's hard to choose…but I'd have to say, all of the parts with Knifeface, Garrett and the Iron Giant talking about love, and after the Iron Giant is defeated, where Garrett, Nieta, and Mog all talk.

Okay, first of all, no, they are not together yet. That's next chapter. ;)

Second of all, now we talk about all FOUR of the fallen monsters:

Iron Giant- I imagine him as a samurai of sorts (the helmet, the armor, the swords)…but he lacks human feelings and emotions, make him a lot colder and ruthless than most warriors…hence the love thing. I didn't want to make the giant too likeable ( I mean, let's face it- an honorable monster? What's not to like?)

Firetooth- He was originally going to fight alongside Bonescratch, but I simply wanted to use him to show another example of the Iron Giant's cruelty/heartlessness. He and Bonescratch don't have much depth to them, as the only way you can describe them is as cowardly (although Bonescratch has a bit more guts and strength than Firetooth).

Bonescratch- Now Bonescratch played his and Firetooth's role(s). It was hard on deciding a death for this guy. I like to kill off my recurring monsters in a creative fashion. Snair had an amazing battle, and Raust was killed by his boss. BUT Garrett already killed Snair, and it was too soon for him to kill another important monster (plus, he totally owns the Iron Giant), and I didn't want the Iron Giant to kill Bonescratch after he killed Firetooth. So what did I do? I used Knifeface to strike down an old comrade, for personal reasons.

Knifeface- Once again, this is a monster who is in the running for being one of my favorite monsters. Knifeface, in all of his appearances, has shown amazing intelligence, coldness, and evil in all of his appearances. He is perhaps THE smartest goblin (maybe even more so than the Goblin King). He's named after his scarred nose (appearance and face, later on at Mount Kilanda), because scars make a person look meaner (sometimes). All in all, he's a frightening character. He is also special, because he is one of the few recurring characters to survive after the boss is defeated in the location he is killed in. All in all, he was sort of like that sneak attack after the storm ended.

And yes, Garrett is going to get the spear of Longinus. Someone else is going to get the Dreamcatcher (Lunar Weapon), but I won't say who (although some can guess).

This chapter was VERY enjoyable to write. Lots of depth.

Next Chapter: Garrett and Nieta sail home at night. When Nieta confronts Garrett about what happened on Mount Kilanda, sparks will fly!

Garrett: I'm asking for a review now, people! Do it, or you'll have fun talking with the Iron Giant after I'm done with ya!


	45. Under the Stars, Feelings Revealed

-swings in on a vine with Indiana Jones music playing- 'ello people!

Alright, this is basically the Nieta and Garrett TRUE ROMANCE chapter…and they're on a boat.

-plays My Heart Will Go On via piano-

Other than that…not really too much going on here. Oh, by the way, the last chapter just took the 1st place spot of being the longest chapter yet!

-sails away on boat- Okay, start the chapter. –chapter sails in on another boat-

* * *

It was night, and Tristan sailed the boat along the quiet waves.

Neither of those two Lilties had spoken at all really, after they had returned from Mount Kilanda. Tristan was wondering what was going on. He tried talking to Garrett, but he had just mumbled something and stomped off. Nieta had turned in early, tired from the battles they had gone through.

Tristan looked over back at the deck of his ship. Mog was fluttering around, but he eventually flew up on top of a box and fell asleep. Garrett just sat on a barrel, looking over the side of the ship at the water.

Garrett picked up a tiny piece of wood, and threw it across the water.

_Creak._

Garrett barely turn his head at the sound of a door being opened. He knew who it was.

"It's late," he said. "You should be getting back to sleep. We might have had a rough time, but our friends aren't just going to let us kick back and rest."

"I can't really sleep too well," Nieta responded, brushing her grassy hair. "I've got a couple burns on me that I just can't lie on."

"Mmm," said Garrett, nodding in understanding. Silence. Garrett was starting to feel awkward now.

"Nice night we're having, huh?" he commented, trying to start a conversation. "The stars are really-"

"I saw it," interrupted Nieta.

"Eh?" asked Garrett, confused.

"I saw what happened with the Iron Giant and…I wasn't knocked out…so I sort of heard everything, too," admitted Nieta.

Garrett wasn't really shocked. After everything they had gone through that day, nothing surprised him anymore.

"Well…?" he asked. "What now?"

"…when I saw you go berserk like that…I was scared for a minute," his female companion said. "I thought you were going to die…and I couldn't stop you, no matter how much I wanted to."

"Well…I'm still here, aren't I?" responded Garrett. "So it all worked out."

"But…when I thought about how serious you were…and how strong you were when something important to you was in danger…well, I…I just think you're a really great person," Nieta finished someone lamely.

Garrett was shocked nevertheless. "Well…thank you…"

"You're right, you know," she said, looking over at him. Garrett looked into her eyes, perplexed.

"About what?" he asked.

"About what makes a person strong, about what makes a person fight with all their strength," said Nieta. "I know it's been bothering you; you weren't certain when you said that, were you?"

"Well…the way that monster responded," said Garrett, swallowing uneasily. "It just sort of…stayed in my thoughts."

"Well, he was wrong," said Nieta. "The Iron Giant fought for nothing, only for himself. You fought for your village, to save your family…and look who won. People like you…and the Black Knight, no matter how mad he seems…those are the people who are truly mighty."

Nieta grabbed him by the shoulder. "Those who are ready to die for what they believe in are truly the bravest and strongest warriors of them all. As I said…you risked your life to save your family, your friends-"

"And you," said Garrett quietly.

"What?" asked Nieta.

"It was more of the fact that…he was advancing toward you…I offered myself to go in your place, but he wouldn't listen…," explained Garrett.

"You shouldn't have done that," argued Nieta. "Exchanging your life is different than sacrificing it. As I said with that goblin, he probably would have just killed me anyway. You shouldn't get yourself in trouble because of me."

"I would die a thousand times over to save you, Nieta," said Garrett quietly, but firmly. Nieta blushed. So this was the true Garrett, what lay inside of that strong, aggressive, boasting outer shell.

Nieta fiddled with her fingers. Should she ask him?

"What is it?" asked Garrett curiously. "Is there something bothering you?"

"W-well…," she began, stammering. "I heard everything, remember…including that conversation about love…and well…you said you loved me…d-did you mean that as a friend or…as something more than that?"

Garrett panicked for a moment. Oh god, why did she have to ask such a straightforward question!? Why!? What would he do!?

While he was going through his inner turmoil, his friend Ray's voice floated back to him:

"_You can't keep avoiding it forever, Garrett. When the time comes, just tell her without thinking about it!"_

The Selkie had told him that the night of the last festival. Garrett closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. Garrett was going to buy Ray all the striped apples he could eat the next time they were in a big city.

"Close your eyes and think for a moment," he said. Nieta gave him a strange look, before obeying his words.

Nieta waited for a moment. "Garrett what are you-?"

She was silenced as a pair of lips covered her own. Nieta's eyes opened for a moment and stared into Garrett's, who was staring at her with such care, it was hard to believe. But eventually, she closed her eyes and gave in. Eventually, Garrett pulled back. Nieta's eyes shot open again, her face disappointed for an instant. She had been enjoying that.

Garrett looked over at her, holding his breath. "Well?" he asked tentatively. Maybe he shouldn't have been so straightforward. If she killed him for this, he would bring Ray down with him. Nieta blushed and then looked away. "What do you say?"

Nieta looked over at him, smiling radiantly. "Yes," she said.

Garrett stood up. "I understand. Sorry for- wait, what?" he stopped mid apology to look back at her.

"I said 'yes', Garrett," she said, starting to grin now. Garrett's shocked look turn to one of glee. He yelled and punched the air.

"YES!" he shouted. He ran back to Nieta, and hugged her happily. Nieta almost laughed.

When she had met him, he had been grumpy and violent. Then he became kinder and sweeter. And now he was her boyfriend, and was hugging her as if she was a new toy. Of course, she didn't mind the hugging now.

Eventually, Garrett settled down a bit, and after what Creston would call "emotional kissing", the two simply watched the stars in the night sky together, simply enjoying each others' company.

Up at the helm of the ship, Tristan smiled.

* * *

And we're done!

Favorite Parts: Garrett thinking about Ray and his advice and such (and the performing of said advice), Garrett's crazy "YES!" and Tristan's smile at the end.

This was VERY hard to write, because I didn't want it to be too similar to Sam and Star…I have a feeling Garrett is a little OOC in this chapter (a bit smarter than he actually is), but I personally think it's due to his lack of emotional confidence (he and Creston don't really understand "people"). I also didn't want to be GUSHY. Because whereas Sam and Star are all…overly gushy, Garrett and Nieta are just…Garrett and Nieta…I like the fact that while they're both nervous, in the end, they both know it's right for them.

So Garrett and Nieta are a couple now! Woo-hoo! How would I describe them? Whereas Sam and Star are the "cute/good couple", Garrett and Nieta are sort of a fairy tale couple (the noble, brave knight and the kind, friendly princess). When Garrett took Ray's advice, and did that crazy "feeling-the-moment" kiss, I was laughing so hard. Garrett's just lucky; Mika would kill Ray if he did that.

Ray is going to be a happy man with all of those apples.

So…yeah…next couple is Ray and Mika…oh boy…

Next Chapter: What did the gang do while Garrett, Nieta, and Mog were at the volcano? Watch Lianora worry about her companions, Creston worry about his future, Sam and Star worry about their friends, and Ray worry about his life! Find out in the next chapter!

Sam and Star: We're both reviewing this time! –kiss-

Sam: So uh…review, everyone! Please!

Star: And thanks again if you do!

Sam: You're so sweet!

Star: Aw… -kissing again-

Mika: Move along people. Nothing to see here.


	46. Ray's Fishing Expedition!

-sky dives out of an airplane- Hello there!

So for this chapter, it's sort of basically what went on while Garrett and Nieta were off fighting and flirting.

This chapter is going to be a healthy dose of plot/seriousness…and extreme humor.

Iron Giant: And now I'm in the opening author's note. For no reason.

Well, anyway, let's start this totally deranged chapter.

* * *

Creston was reading through some books. "You know, acting frantic won't do anything now that they're gone," he called over to his friend.

Lianora barely acknowledged his words. "Oh, why did I do it, why did I do it!?" she asked herself, panicking.

"Why would we send only two people to Mount Kilanda!?" she shrieked, clutching her head with her hands. "And why would we send only Lilties? What if they needed to perform magic? What if they need to be cured! Nieta's no mage, and Garrett can barely even cast a fire spell? What if they're hurt? What if they were both killed? WHAT IF ME SENDING THEM THERE KILLED THEM!?"

"Lianora, calm down," came Creston's soothing voice from by the river. "What's done is done. But I have a good feeling, so don't lose your head."

"But what if they don't come back and it's my entire fault?" wailed Lia. "Why did I send them just so they'd fall in love?"

"You're overreacting," insisted Creston. "Nieta's a tough cookie, and no matter how annoying Garrett is, he is the strongest warrior strength wise. As for why you sent them…you're a bit of a romantic."

Lianora could hardly believe this. There was HUMOR in his voice.

"I am most certainly NOT a romantic!" she responded indignantly. "I just thought I'd do a little match making."

"Well you did," said Creston. "Now look. It'll all turn out. I know it will. They'll be fine."

The worst of her fear was fading. Lianora took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright, I'll take your word for it."

Creston just gave her a wave.

'_Hmmph…they'll be fine, but I don't know about me_,' he thought darkly.

His father was up to something. Something he just couldn't put his finger on. He remembered what his father had tried to achieve all those years ago…and failed. But now…what would he do now that Creston wasn't around?

Creston tried to hide his worry. He didn't want to upset his friends. But he wouldn't ever be able to feel safe until the dark shadow in his thoughts was lifted.

Sam and Star were talking closely, as Creston watched them, with Mika and Ray eating lunch near him. They seemed to be thinking…were they talking about him? But even as he stared, the two of them walked over to him.

Creston gave Star and Sam a questioning glance. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well…uh…don't call me crazy but…I uh…had a vision," confessed Sam.

Creston's interest was piqued. "Really…what kind of vision? Just now?"

"No…it was back when we saw Gurdy in his brother's clothes," said Sam.

Creston looked at him intently. Sam felt the Yuke's gaze analyzing him closely.

"And what was this…vision?" asked Creston. To Sam's surprise, he didn't sound very sarcastic.

"Well…okay…heard this voice…," said Sam.

"Describe it," ordered Creston. "Was it kind? Calm? Mysterious?"

"No, the exact opposite…," said Sam, shivering slightly as though the air had gotten cooler. "It was malevolent. Sadistic. Evil."

"What did it say?" asked Creston sharply. Before he was mildly interested. Now he was uneasy.

"It was laughing…gloating…somewhat…," said Sam. "And it was saying…how someone was weak…and how Hurdy and Leon weren't strong enough…and after that…I saw an image of two people."

"Who were they?" asked Lianora, walking over. Ray and Mika were both listening, while they ate their lunch.

"One was Gurdy. Well, that's what I thought at first but…I think it was his brother, Hurdy," revealed Sam in a confused voice. "And the other one was the Black Knight."

"So I'm guessing the Black Knight is named Leon…," theorized Creston.

"And after that vision…the voice said that they weren't strong enough to defeat Raem," finished Sam.

"Raem? Who's Raem?" asked Lianora.

"I don't know…I think he's the one who was speaking…or she…but…well…that was what I saw," finished Sam.

"Well…I think that we better keep an eye on the Black Knight…and Gurdy too," said Mika, swallowing some food.

"And we should warn Gurdy to look out for his brother," added Ray. "He wouldn't want his sibling to die."

Everyone else felt a stab of pain for Ray, as he watched another person have a sibling in danger.

Ray watched them all look at him. He didn't want pity. Time to change the subject.

"Ah, crap!" he just smacked his forehead.

Mika looked alarmed. "What!?"

"I forgot to lock my house," Ray lied weakly.

"You're such an idiot, who's going to go in your house?" asked Mika, rolling her eyes. "I've been in there, you can hardly see the floor."

"Well, I am a merchant," countered Ray. "I have some valuable stuff in there, unlike YOU!"

Mika's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You catch FISH!" said Ray, throwing his hands out for emphasis. "Not much of a business."

"For your information, it's a good business," said Mika, looking scornfully at him. "Catching fish isn't easy."

Ray scoffed. "I bet I could catch fish better than you."

"Oh really?" asked Mika in a dangerous voice. "Let's have a contest then. Tristan probably has a few rods in his house. Let's do this."

"It's on, hot stuff," said Ray. "Let's get this over with so I can brag already."

* * *

"On your mark, get set," said Creston lazily. "Go."

Ray and Mika both cast out their fishing rods. The rules were simple: whoever caught more, and better fish, would win the challenge. The loser would have to do something that the winner wanted…no matter HOW embarrassing.

And so they fished.

Late in the game, Mika was surprised. Ray was doing pretty well. At least, he was keeping up with her; an expert fisherwoman. But it wasn't going to last long.

When they both had about 15 fish each, Mika managed to hook a MONSTER sized fish. It leaped out of the water, snagged on her line.

"No fair!" yelled Ray, looking at his pile of smaller fish.

"Go Mika," cheered Star, jumping up and down.

Mika flashed a victorious grin at Ray. "Once I reel in this thing, you're done for," she shouted. Ray's eyes widened. Not at the threat, but at the fact that he would have to do something she wanted…NO MATTER WHAT!

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" Ray kept chanting to himself. He had to do something, anything to stop Mika from winning. Within an instant, he had a plan: he'd cover Mika's eyes, and when she would try to hit him off, she'd let go of the fishing rod…releasing her catch!

Ray dropped his rod. He ran over to Mika. "How about this!?" yelled Ray, throwing his arms out.

"What the…he's cheating!" exclaimed Star. Creston just folded his arms.

"Well…the rules we established never said you couldn't cheat," he stated sagely, nodding his head. Star gaped at him. He was going to LET THIS HAPPEN!?

Mika saw what Ray was about to do. She tried to dodge to the side, but messed up. Both Selkies collided with each other.

…

Silence. Ray opened his eyes (he had closed them so he wouldn't see Mika's death glare).

"Did I get her?" he whispered to himself. "Maybe not."

Mika on the other hand…could still see…and she looked down.

When she had dodged, Ray missed his target. And instead of his hands being over her eyes…

They were on her breasts.

Star's jaw dropped.

Lia covered her mouth (or where it would've been).

Sam's eyes widened.

Creston tried not to laugh at the spectacle.

Ray whispered again. "Did I get your eyes?" He moved his hand along her chest, as if trying to find where her eyes would be.

"No…you didn't," said Mika calmly. Ray looked around at where he had grabbed. His face went from his sly smirk, to a look of sheer horror.

"SHIT!" he yelled, removing his hands at once. "I didn't mean to…you dodged- and then I- and you- OH CRAP!"

Mika slowly turned around and stared at him. She didn't seem to be angry, to the others, but Ray was too worried about his life to see her expression.

'_I'm dead_,' he thought weakly.

Mika grabbed the Selkie and pulled him in close. Everyone waited for Ray's impending doom.

"Now who told you to let go?" asked Mika, pouting.

Everyone was silent.

"I sort of liked it," Mika continued, smiling at him.

Star tried not to faint on the spot, because all of this was making her head hurt. Lia just stood there, gaping, while Sam caught his girlfriend as she fell. Creston forgot about his war against laughter in his shock. Ray, meanwhile, blushed somewhat, as he smirked.

"Well then…I guess I'll live to fish another day?" he asked, flashing his crooked smile.

"I guess you will," responded Mika, looking at him seductively. "It's kind of hot, huh? Are you hot?"

Ray nodded. "Yeah."

Mika smiled sweetly at him.

"Then you should go for a swim!" shouted Mika, grabbing Ray and flipping him into the water.

Ray rose to the surface quickly, and shook the water out of his hair.

Mika was laughing. "You think I wasn't going to punish you?" she asked, trying to form words. "You're too easy to mess with."

"If this is all I get for groping you, maybe I should do it more often!" countered Ray, starting to laugh as well.

Sam looked on in confusion. Ray cheated, grabbed Mika's boobs, causing Mika to fake seduction, in order to lure Ray into a false sense of security, and throw him in the water. And now they were both laughing about it?

He couldn't keep up with those two.

* * *

After a lovely meal of fish, Ray sat alone by the fire. The others were waiting at the dock, waiting for Garrett and Nieta.

Ray took a bite out of a large fish. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Mika stared down at him. "Did you eat it all, or is there some left for me?" she asked. He handed her a fish on a stick, and she took a bite out of it.

"Delicious," she commented, munching on the fish. She looked over at the silent Ray. "Something bugging you? You aren't waiting with the others."

Ray looked over at her questioningly. "Okay, I'll bite: what are you going to make me do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean that I lost the competition. So I've gotta do something that you want me to, right?"

Mika sighed, and put her hands on her hips. "Ray, I'm not stupid. You changed the topic of conversation and challenged me to a contest to get everyone to stop worrying about you."

Ray looked at her. "Clever. You figured it out. What gave it away?"

"The fact that I'm a Selkie and I know Selkies too well," said Mika.

"Well…I'm fine…and the gang shouldn't have to worry about me," said Ray. "It's been over for a while now. It's not something that's ongoing. Why do they keep giving me those looks?"

"Because we care, stupid," said Mika, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Ray got up and stretched. "I suppose I'd better get back to the others, before they all come over to talk to me."

Mika stood up too. "Well…I suppose so."

"Hey…why didn't you kill me after the…accident?" asked Ray curiously.

"Because it WAS an accident," said Mika without hesitation. She knew he'd ask this. "If you had done it on purpose, I'd knock you out."

"Well…maybe I ought to have a few more accidents," joked Ray, grinning. Mika gave him a smile.

"Yeah, right," she said, as they began to walk back. Mika tripped over a rock, and Ray caught her.

At the moment, as Ray helped her stand again, they both looked into each other eyes. There were faces were close…really close…and slowly, they grew closer as both Ray and Mika leaned in…

"They're back!" came a shout from the dock. Ray and Mika snapped out of there daze.

"Uh…," said Ray.

"It was an accident," blurted out Mika.

"I thought I saw something on your face," said Ray. "Just getting a closer look."

"I was about to sneeze," responded Mika. "But I was trying to hold it in. I figured you wouldn't want to have snot all over you."

She let out a fake sneeze, and then she and Ray ran over to greet their friends.

There was a new change. Nieta and Garrett were standing close together, and holding hands. As they came closer, Nieta gave Garrett a peck on the cheek.

"Well what do ya know?" asked Ray, looking at Mika. "They're the next hottest couple."

"I guess we did good," said Mika. "Sending them to Mount Kilanda, I mean."

Ray nodded. They both stood silent.

"Shall we embarrass them?" asked Ray.

"Yes," agreed Mika. They both ran over.

Ray pulled Garrett into a headlock. "Nice one, little guy!" he shouted. He rubbed the Lilty's head. "I knew you had it in you. Followed my advice, eh?"

Mika patted Nieta on the head mockingly. "My little girl's all grown up."

Nieta blushed and gave Mika a smile. Garrett on the other hand, glared up at Ray with hostility.

"I hate you," growled the short warrior. Ray grinned.

"You can hate me, but just remember who gave you the successful advice," said Ray, with a wink. Garrett just huffed and looked away, blushing.

* * *

And so we are done again! Whee!

Favorite Parts: The entire fishing competition, The "accident", and the Mika and Ray moment (the almost-kiss).

Okay…so Sam saw the vision…a reviewer reminded me of it. Sam is sort of…tied in with Raem and stuff…explained later.

BIG SELKIE CHAPTER! This chapter focused on Mika and Ray, as you can guess. So first of all:

Ray did NOT grope her on purpose. That was added in, not to be sexual, but because I lacked a perverted scene (although Mika and Ray are…uh…open).

Mika was not mad, but threw him in the water as a joke.

Ray is NOT still sad about his sister. He doesn't to be pitied, and have everyone worried about him.

Yes, they almost kissed. I'm evil.

Okay…so other than that…really not much. This was a chapter that was half plot, half fluff.

Next Chapter: As the gang decides what do to do next, Ray receives a very mysterious letter from De Nam, from Conall Curach. But when the gang gets close to the swamp, they decide that it's too dangerous to go through. The gang leaves to go back to the Jegon River or the Fields of Fum. But Ray, finally getting a chance to complete his greatest goal, has other plans…

Rex: AHAHAHAHAHA! That's right, I'm here.

Selstun: And so am I.

Rex: So yeah…we're the villains, and we want a review! Got it?

Selstun: I think they've got it. So review…or else.


	47. An Ominous Letter

-trumpets play- Here we are! Another chapter for all my lovely readers.

In this chapter…the gang is hanging around, when Ray gets a letter from De Nam. They go to Conall Curach…OR DO THEY!?

So yeah…really…it isn't much of a chapter…it's going to be fairly short...same with the next chapter…

I think this has been my shortest opening note in a long time…anyways, let's go. –presses a button, and an the screen explodes for you to find the chapter inside-

* * *

"How the hell have you won three times!?" demanded Ray incredulously.

"I'm just that good," said Creston, shrugging his feathery arms. The Yuke had been betting in cow race after cow race, and winning every time.

"Okay, I think you're casting haste spells on your cows," accused Garrett, growling as he handed Creston some gil.

"You're just mad that I beat you," said Creston. "Me. Creston. If Nieta had beaten you, you would've congratulated her."

Garrett gritted his teeth, trying to bite back a retort. Ray and Creston had been teasing him about his new relationship with Nieta. Ray kept laughing, and treating him like a young boy that had just had his first kiss (even though it was true, it still pissed the male Lilty off), while Creston had registered his astonishment at the fact that Garrett had stopped threatening things long enough to tell Nieta how he felt.

"You jerks are just mad because I have a girlfriend, and you don't," retorted Garrett.

"Psssh…like I care," said Ray. "I helped you woo her, man. So, technically, I got the girl for you."

Garrett groaned. That was true. How he hated Ray.

"Look, take a joke," said Creston, giving the Lilty an exasperated look. "Who knows? Maybe this relationship you have with Nieta will help cool you down a little."

Garrett couldn't tell if this was an insult or not.

"Oy! Kupo!" yelled a high voice. The three arguing men turned to face a small moogle with a letter in its mouth. The letter was oddly soggy and looked battered.

"I've got some mail for you, kupo!" he shouted, running up to Ray. Ray took the letter.

"De Nam," he said.

"How can you tell?" asked Creston, intrigued.

"He's in Conall Curach, and it's really wet there," explained Ray. "Plus, he's the only one that writes to me now."

The moogle ran off. "My work is done here! See you around, kupo!"

Ray looked at the writing on the envelope. It didn't say it was from De Nam…oh wait…it did…but this time, the words were messy and distorted. It was hard to read, unlike De Nam's usual handwriting.

De Nam had sent him many letters of his findings. De Nam was using miasma tolerance (he had bounced the idea off of Ray, who thought it was a good plan, considering Ray used it in Selepation Cave). He had been drinking water tainted with miasma, trying to develop a resistance to it. And he had.

Ray opened the letter, and began to read it, smiling as he waited to hear the latest results. But slowly, his smile turned into a frown, and his expression became confused and thoughtful.

Ray had thought for sure that De Nam's experiments were to be a success. But now…

Creston noticed this change in behavior. "What is it?" he asked.

Ray looked at the letter. "It's weird…this doesn't sound like De Nam at all…it's weird…really…very weird."

Creston held out his hand. "Let me see."

Creston quickly scanned over the letter.

"I think we ought to show this to the others," he said. Ray looked at him.

"So, you think so too…you're getting that uneasy feeling," stated Ray. Creston nodded, thinking.

"Well…let's go discuss this with our friends," said Creston.

* * *

_Yes. Co e ov r here._

_Yo w ll f nd me a C nal Cura h_

_Hu ry. I m wai ing f r ou._

_-De Nam_

Sam finished reading, and looked at his friends. "What does this mean?"

"Some of the ink has been washed away…," explained Lianora, poking at the wet paper. "So…we simply need to fill in the blanks. But it's easy."

"Really?" asked Nieta, surprised. "What does it say? Have you already figured it out?"

"'Yes. Come over here. You will find me at Conall Curach. Hurry. I am waiting for you,'" stated Mika, eyeing the letter warily.

Ray looked around at everyone. "Something's wrong," he said simply.

Star stared at the Selkie. "How do you know?"

"Because I know. I say we go to Conall Curach and help De Nam, and get some myrrh in the process," said Ray.

"We'll take a vote on it," said Sam. "Who votes for Conall Curach?"

Eight hands rose in the air.

"Okay then. Let's go," said Sam.

"Did we really need to vote?" asked Creston.

"Creston, it's only fair," said Star.

"Life isn't meant to be fair. That's why I have to deal with Garrett," lamented Creston with a sigh.

* * *

Sam patted Star on the back. "It's okay…let it all out," he urge soothingly. Star nodded weakly, before vomiting again.

Sam looked down at her, worried. They had stopped to change their chalice to wind at Selepation Cave…but this miasma stream was still dreadful, even with the right element. This miasma stream put the other three to shame.

Garrett even looked spooked. He jumped into the air as he heard a snap, but it was just Ray cracking his knuckles.

"I just want to get out of here," complained Nieta, groaning.

Lia nodded in agreement. "But just think…if the miasma stream is this bad…what could it be like on the other side?"

The others murmured in agreement. Then Mog caused a distraction by hurling so hard, he flew backwards four feet.

* * *

Sam coughed. "Wow…I didn't expect it to be so…dead here," said the Clavat.

Creston stared out at the expanse of land before them. "You can say that again."

The Rebena Plains were dark. The grass and land was covered in weeds. It was cloudy in the sky, and the air was thinner here than in the Plains of Fum, due to the large amounts of miasma. In the distance, they could see the foggy outline of a great swamp.

"There's Conall Curach," said Garrett, stretching his arms. "C'mon, let's go."

But as they neared the marsh, the caravanners noticed something; it was getting very hard to breath.

Star was coughing violently. "What's going on here?" she asked.

Ray gave her a strange look. "What are you talking about?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Lia was hunched over, taking gasping breaths. "The air here…I can hardly breathe."

Ray was confused. He felt perfectly fine. He noticed that Mika wasn't coughing as much, although she seemed slightly agitated. Garrett seemed to be doing fine as well, although he winced in pain occasionally.

"Of course," muttered Ray to himself. "We're the ones who have the highest miasma tolerance out of all of us. But the others don't."

"Ray…I don't think we're ready for this," said Sam. "We need to decide on what to do."

"What, what do you mean!?" squawked Ray, throwing out his arms. "Have you forgotten about De Nam? What if he's in trouble? We can't just-"

"Look, Ray…we'll vote on it, just so it's fair," said Sam. Ray glared at him, then nodded grudgingly.

"Who votes for going back to the Plains of Fum?" asked Creston. Creston himself raised his hand, as well as Sam and Star. Ray kept his hand at his side, and he noticed that Mika did as well. Lianora and Nieta both looked hesitant, but raised both of their hands. Mog looked from side to side, and floated over to Mika and Ray, showing that he voted to stay. Garrett shifted awkwardly thinking. But just when Ray thought Garrett would want to fight, Garrett too raised his hand. Ray stared at him.

"Sorry…," murmured Garrett apologetically. His glance flashed to Nieta. Somehow, knowing that Garrett just wanted what was best for Nieta made Ray's respect for him rise. But Ray had noticed that he was in the minority.

"Well then…it's decided," said Lianora. "We go back to the Plains of Fum, stay the night at the Fields of Fum, and then we'll decide what to do."

"Come on!" shouted Ray. "Are you guys serious? You're just going to abandon him-"

"Ray, we all don't have a ridiculous tolerance for miasma like you!" yelled Sam, starting to get annoyed with the Selkie's stubbornness.

"Well, now's the perfect chance to get some!" Ray shot back. "Stop being a coward!"

"Easy Ray," said Creston. Ray flashed a scowl at him, but muttered an apology.

"Sam is just trying to do what's best," said Nieta. "Remember Ray. Our mission is to get myrrh for our village. It comes first. I know De Nam is your friend, but our village will always come first."

"It's settled then," stated Lia. "Let's go."

Everyone began to head back through the miasma stream. Ray stood still, and looked back at the distant swamp. He clenched a fist, and walked off.

* * *

Well…it wasn't my favorite chapter…but eh…whatever.

Favorite Parts: De Nam's letter, and Sam and Ray's argument.

Okay, so this chapter was rather short…and meaningless…but it WILL be important. It was originally going to be two chapters combined, but I think splitting it up will work better.

Now first of all, Ray does NOT just want to save De Nam. There's more to it. Trust me. Second of all, it is true that Conall Curach has a large amount of miasma, as the description of it says that it has thwarted many travelers, and that the rain there is thick with miasma.

This chapter is more of a…foreshadowing chapter than anything else, but more will be revealed next chapter (which will also be fairly short).

Next Chapter: The gang is staying in the Fields of Fum, but Ray is forced to make a difficult decision: will he abandon the caravan for his own purposes and reasons, or stick with his friends? And if he does leave them, will someone bar his path?

Sam: We have no new characters to review request for us, really, so I'll-

Orc King: -pushes him out of the way- Out of way, you! I, great Orc King, request review this time! Stupid readers! Review, or else I smash you to bits and pieces with weapons!


	48. Two Selkies, Two Chalices

Okay, here we are again, in the gruesome world of author's notes. Today, we're thinking of how many licks it takes to get to the center of a water flan.

Goblin King: 42!

Wrong! In this chapter…well…I can't tell you, really. You just have to watch and see.

Orc King: Six?

So yeah…shall we get on with this.

Armstrong: -kills the flan- Zero.

ENOUGH ALREADY! –waves a wand and pulls the chapter out of a hat-

* * *

It was evening in the Fields of Fum, and Creston and Lia sat watching the sunset.

"Beautiful isn't it?" asked Creston.

"Yeah…," said Lia, nodding in agreement.

"It's sad that my mind is too worried to enjoy it properly," said Creston bitterly.

"Ray, right?" asked Lianora.

"Well, he didn't take the decision we made too well," said Creston, waving a hand. "I just don't our friendships to take a turn for the worst again. Not after last year."

"Well, he wanted to go help a friend," pointed out the female Yuke reasonably. "You can't blame him for that."

"But we don't know if anything's wrong," insisted Creston. "That ink may not have even been washed off. He probably has just ran out of the stuff."

"True enough," agreed Lianora. "But I can tell you, Ray isn't going to be happy for a while."

"Well, Ray will have to cope, because we obviously weren't ready for a place like that," said Creston dismissively.

"Yeah…but all the same, I hope he's alright."

* * *

"You seem to be taking this better than I thought," commented Mika lightly.

"Well, I'm smart enough to not go blurting out my inner, angrier thoughts," stated Ray with a certain bluntness in his tone.

Mika raised her hands defensively. "Hey, don't get mad at me," she said. "I voted to go to Conall, too! I care about De Nam's welfare just as much as you do. He's my friend, too."

"Yeah, I know, but…well, I'll say I didn't expect Sam to make this decision," growled Ray.

"Go easy on him. Sam has to make decisions that are best for all of the caravanners, not just for one."

"Yeah…I guess you're right…it's late…I'm going to bed," said Ray, getting up and walking towards the inn they were staying at for the night.

Mika watched him go, thinking.

"That was too easy," she said, thinking aloud. "There's no way that Ray would accept Sam's decision that easily. He's up to something. I've just got to find out what."

* * *

It was the middle of the night. Within the inn, one of the occupants stood up, and opened the door to his room.

Sneaking out into the hallway, Ray listened for any sounds of people awake. He could hear Garrett snoring from down the hall, but other than that, nothing. Quietly, he tiptoed down the stairs, and exited through the door.

Ray threw his pack over his shoulder and continued walking. He looked back at the inn one last time, before he turned and continued with his nightly stroll. Ray started to head for the entrance of the village.

Surprisingly, someone was there, waiting for him.

Ray's eyes widened. "What're you doing here?"

Mika stood up from where she was sitting on a rock wall, and faced him. "I could say the same to you. I was just sitting here, enjoying the peace."

Ray snorted. "Right. And I'm Jack Moschet's wife. You were waiting for me here."

"Because I knew you'd pull something like this." Mika's eyes trailed to the bags on the Selkie's body. "Planning on making a trip to the Rebena Plains?"

"How'd you know?"

"Because I know you, Ray," said Mika, hands on her hips. "And I have this little sense that allows me to tell when you're going to do something stupid."

"I thought you wanted to go to Conall Curach," said Ray with a sneer.

"One person going is a lot different than eight! Are you crazy?" asked Mika.

"I'm not…and this isn't just about De Nam," replied Ray. "This is my choice…my decision…it's something I have to do."

Mika pulled out her weapon. "Do you think I'm just going to let you?"

"Oh, so you WERE waiting for me," drawled Ray. "Enjoying the peace, my ass."

"You're not getting past me," threatened Mika. But deep down, she was afraid, and her words were lies. She didn't want to fight him!

Ray sighed and went over to sit on the rock wall.

"Fine…I just…ugh…," he groaned, rubbing his head. Mika walked over and sat beside him.

"Why are you so determined to go help De Nam, anyway?" asked Mika.

"I've already let someone die in Conall Curach," he responded, not meeting her eyes. "But never again."

"Getting yourself killed is no way to avenge them," Mika argued hotly.

"Mika…I'm sorry," Ray said sadly. Lightning fast, he reached over and pinched a pressure point on her neck. Mika's eyes widened, but proceeded to droop as she fell unconscious. Ray picked her up and laid her down gently on a bench, laying a blanket on top of her.

He had pulled the blanket from his pack. "You're not the only Selkie with foresight," he said, looking down at her. With one last wistful look at her, Ray turned around and left the village, pulling Tipa's chalice out of his backpack.

* * *

"_Mika…I'm sorry."_

"_Mika…"_

"Mika!"

Mika awoke in a flash. She looked up to see Creston and Nieta standing over her.

"Have you seen Ray?" asked Creston.

"We can't find him anywhere!" said Nieta.

Mika stood up confused. Then the memories of the night before came flooding back.

"That bastard!" she cried, jumping up to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" asked Nieta. Mika proceeded to explain the events of last night to her fellow caravanners.

Creston looked serious. "This is bad. I can't believe he'd do this just for De Nam."

Mika shook her head. "It was something more than that, but I don't know what," she said, shaking her head.

"Well…this is a huge problem," said Creston.

"Why are you so worried?" asked Nieta, confused.

"Because now that he's got the chalice, we're sitting ducks," explained Creston, rubbing his helm in a stressed manner. "That means we can't leave this village. Oh, and if he dies out there, we'll have lost our chalice in Conall Curach, and we would have a very small chance of getting it back."

Nieta looked scared. "We'll have to tell the others."

* * *

"Damn!" shouted Sam, punching his hand against the outside of the inn. Star put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "This is just like him. Ray…why does he have to be so selfish!?"

"Well…I've gotta agree. This wasn't the way to handle this," said Garrett, his voice disgruntled.

"If he lives, I may just strangle him when he gets back," said Creston.

"No kidding," said Nieta.

"Now, look…I don't think you're giving Ray enough credit…," piped up Lianora, folding her arms. "So he had the chalice…but look…Ray isn't stupid. He probably just left to be alone for a while."

"Or he could've just went to a miasma-infested swamp to make a rescue mission!" retorted Garrett.

"Well…who knows…maybe he hid the chalice on us, and he won't tell us where it is until we agree to go to Conall Curach," suggested Star.

"Then where is he?" asked Creston sarcastically. "If he wants us to tell him we'll go to Conall Curach, then he should be here to listen."

"But he might just be hiding as well," argued Mika. "He doesn't exactly like to make things easy, does he?"

Lianora nodded. "Now THAT sounds more like Ray."

"So he could still be in the village!" yelled Nieta, her eyes brightening.

"Alright," said Sam, rubbing his temples. "We'll search around for him. And if we find him, he's really gonna get it."

"Will we go to Conall?" asked Garrett curiously.

"I haven't decided anything yet," replied Sam, turning to walk off.

Eventually, the other caravanners walked off. Mika was left alone, and could see Garrett and Star getting some of the villages in on the search. Mika watched them in scornful silence.

This was a stupid waste of time. She knew for certain that Ray had left. His dialogue, his facial expressions, his attitude…all of it added up perfectly. She was 100% sure. Grinding her teeth against each other, she looked around.

But something caught her eye. Lying next to the village's giant crystal, was the Fields of Fum's crystal chalice. Mika's eyes widened as she saw it.

And somehow, she just knew. She knew what she had to do. Running over, making sure no one was watching, Mika picked up the chalice. It currently had the wind element set to it. It was also empty; apparently, according to the villagers, the festival had only been about four or five days ago. Mika knew they wouldn't be sent out again for a while, so she wasn't doing anything HORRIBLY wrong.

Silently, Mika dashed out of the village, carrying the chalice in her hand as she ran up towards the miasma stream, ready to chase down Ray before he got hurt…or worse.

* * *

Later on, the remaining six caravanners and Mog met up in front of the inn.

"Did anyone find him?" asked Lia. The others shook their heads.

"Where's Mika?" asked Garrett, noticing her absence.

"Maybe she found him and she's talking to him!" said Star in realization. But just then, a villager ran up to the caravan.

"Excuse me, have you seen our chalice?" he asked.

"What? No, why, is it missing?" asked Sam, confused.

"It was there this morning, but now it's gone!" wailed the caravanner.

"Well…hey…you won't have to send out your caravan for a month or two…," said Garrett reassuringly.

"But if we can't find it, we won't be able to send them out!"

Lianora then looked at Creston fearfully. "Oh no…you don't think…"

"That Mika's disappearance and the chalice's disappearance are connected?" finished Creston. "Oh yes I do."

"You really don't think she stole the chalice just to go and find Ray?" asked Nieta, shocked.

"I think Mika and Ray are daring enough to do anything we wouldn't," said Sam grimly.

"Well what do we do, kupo?" asked Mog.

"We'd better tell the village headman what has happened," said Lianora.

The group marched over and began to explain what happened. He seemed to be far more worried than angry.

"What will we do if they do not return?" asked the Clavat fearfully.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said Creston cheerfully. The others looked at him like he was a madman. "They're both really strong. Very powerful and smart. They'll be fine. You'll have your chalice back before you know it."

The man let out a relieved sigh, and walked off. The others continued to look at Creston.

"They shouldn't know the seriousness of the situation," explained Creston. "We shouldn't tell him about the dangers and perils those too face. They'll turn their anger on us and then we'll be in REAL trouble."

"What are we going to do?" asked Star, frightened. Sam took her hand.

"We'll have to wait," said her lover. "We need to wait and hope for the best."

* * *

Dum dee dum…and we're done!

Favorite parts: Creston and Lianora watching the sunset, the Ray and Mika confrontation, and Mika stealing the chalice.

So…this chapter was a good one…one of my favorite "nothing chapters" (a chapter where nothing is achieved, really).

So Ray is off to Conall Curach, with Mika trailing behind him. Basically, Ray has Tipa's chalice, while Mika has the Fields of Fum's. This will be useful for them in this level.

Sam actually got angry for once. Well twice, if you count his rage during the Lilty fight.

Next Chapter: Ray and Mika both arrive in Conall Curach, and eventually meet up with each other. Together, in the graveyard of their Selkie ancestors, they will have to fight for their lives more than ever before.

Jack Moschet: I'm demandin' a review this time, folks!

Maggie: Me too! So review, or we'll take you down!

Jack Moschet: Yeah! She fights so hard, I can barely believe she's a woman!

Maggie: What's that mean!?

Jack Moschet: Oh, um…nothing…honey…dearest.

Maggie: …DIE!

Jack Moschet: -flees-


	49. The Dark Swamp: Conall Curach

Alright! I am enthusiastic because I'll have fun with this chapter!

Ray goes to Conall Curach, and Mika followed him there, so…yeah…that's pretty much it.

There are going to be multiple chapters for this level. Probably three or four. And maybe more (rhyme-time…hee hee).

Also…we're going to have Ray's character chapter now! Yay!

Okay then…let's go! –pulls the chapter out of the water with a fishing rod-

* * *

Ray stood at the beginning of the swamp. In front of him loomed Conall Curach.

The sky was a dark and cloudy grey, and seemed rather sorrowful (but everything seemed sad at Conall Curach), and the rain was drizzling lightly. The grassy ground was wet and dark green, making squelching noises every time he took a step. The surrounding waters were dark and murky, and who knew what lied within the miasma-tainted depths.

Taking a deep breath, Ray thought of his reasons for coming here, and all the risks he had made by doing so.

There was no turning back. Not now, not ever.

He began to walk forward.

His first two opponents burst out of the ground almost immediately. Two snow mus, like regular mus but white in color, charged towards him. Ray swung his racket, and knocked both of them back, before shooting at the one of them again, killing it. The second mu dashed toward him, but Ray did a back flip into the air, and landed on the mu, breaking its neck.

Ray checked the chalice. He had tied it to his back with some rope so he wouldn't have to carry it. He would just have to be careful not to lose it. He began to move ahead, when he paused, looking at a stone. It appeared to be in an old Selkic text. Leaning down, he read the words:

_To those who follow:_

_We shall build a road._

_Let these stones guide you to our new haven._

Ray looked down and saw something that made his eyes widen: at the bottom of the stone, there was a bracelet. Ray picked it up. This was very familiar.

"Big sis," he whispered. She had left it there as a sign, in case something had happened. So she had read this stone. He would have to look around for more stones along the way.

He heard a loud splash, and he whirled around to see a sahagin leaping out of the water. It grinned at him, waving its large webbed hands.

"Ah…a Selkie," it croaked. "Welcome to Conall Curach!"

The sahagin ran at him, swiping a flipper at him. Ray moved back a second to late, getting a cut on his cheek, but launched himself forward, whacking the sahagin, and then kicking it into the air. The sahagin landed on the stone, where its back cracked. The monster let out a painful hiss, and Ray finished it off.

He moved on and found two blizzard bombs waiting for him. He shot one of them, and it flew into a wall before landing in the water and exploding, while the second bomb tried to hit him with a meteor spell. Ray was hit, and was sent flying backwards, while the bomb prepared to freeze him. Ray rolled out of the way as the freezing blast struck, and he shot the bomb from afar. He only managed to daze and confuse it, so he picked up a rock and threw it at the chilly monster. The bomb flopped onto the ground and exploded with a screech of rage.

Ray rested for about a minute, leaning on his club, before walking on. He caught sight of two hell plants up ahead. One of them caught sight of him, and began to cast a magic spell. Ray proceeded to try and beat it down with his club, but was hit by an extremely quick thunder spell. Ray groaned inwardly, and would've punched himself in the face if he wasn't paralyzed. This wasn't a hell plant. It was a magic plant, monsters that had the highest spell casting speed of all. Ray was hit by another spell, but eventually shook it off and struck the magic plant once more, killing it. Ray then turned to the other, and managed to defeat (after it had cast a few more magic spells at him).

Ray used a cure spell, then rubbed his head as a he received a mild headache, before he walked onwards. Eventually (after defeating around two more sahagin), he came to a large patch of weeds, with some planks of wood marking a path through them. Ray ran through the swampy field. He took out one blizzard bomb with a sneak attack, got frozen by another, but unfroze and beat it to a pulp, and found his way out of the reeds.

Two sahagin were waiting for him. "Looks like we've found another one," snarled the first sahagin.

"And he's wearing a stupid bandanna, just like the one from before," commented the other. Ray's stomach clenched. A bandanna…just like De Nam?

The two sahagin ran forward, but Ray was ready. Focusing his mind, he cast a Fira spell. Both sahagin were hit, although only one was killed. The other one tried desperately to put out the flames, and ran for the murky ponds surrounding them, but Ray cast another Fira spell as it jumped, and it fell into the water, cursing as it died.

Ray rubbed his head as he felt another pain in his head. He moved on, taking down a magic plant, another sahagin, and a snow mu. Ray found another stone after he moved around for a while.

_To those who follow:_

_Our new haven is not far._

_Press onwards with faith!_

Ray looked around for another sign of his sister. He looked around, and then saw it: a torn piece of a blue bandanna was attached to the rock. The material was the exact same material as his sister's bandanna.

"So she got up to this point, too," Ray figured out, scratching his chin. But while he was pondering, he didn't hear the sounds of wet feet stomping towards him. Ray ducked just in time as he saw a shadow moving towards him, and sahagin's claw lashed out over him. Ray aimed a kick at the foul creature, but it managed to dodge, and move backwards, where another sahagin was waiting.

"Two against one?" asked Ray mockingly. "Because that's really fair!"

"Most Selkies don't care about fairness," retorted the sahagin, casting a blizzard spell at Ray. Ray hadn't noticed, and was frozen solid, as the sahagin ran at him and started slashing him with their fins and claws. Ray couldn't move. Every time one hit him, the other one would follow up just as quickly. Ray felt blood trickling down his arms and legs. What could he do?

But one of the sahagin suddenly stopped. It let out a choking cry, and fell to its knees, gasping for breath. The other sahagin looked at its friend in confusion, before feeling a sharp object in the back of its throat. Reaching for it, the sahagin pulled out a sharp, bloodstained rock, before falling over, dead. The other sahagin still kneeled, panting, but two rapidly fired projectiles ended its suffering. Ray was stunned. Where had THAT come from?

Looking over to where the attacks had came from, Ray's eyes widened as he saw someone he hadn't expected to see for a while.

Mika was walking over to him, a chalice bound to her hip, as she stood over him, arms folded.

"You got pretty damn far on your own," she said. "It took me forever to catch up to. Luckily, you killed all the monsters in my way, so that made it easier."

"How…did you…?" asked Ray.

"I stole the Fum caravan's chalice," said Mika, offering a hand to pull him up to his feet. "They had their festival recently, so they won't need it for a while. But the point is, I'm here to make sure you don't die, because if you died alone, we'd lose you AND our chalice."

"Aw…so you were worried," said Ray in a mock-sweet voice. "How cute."

"I came for the chalice, not you," said Mika. "But I'm obviously not gonna get it back until you do what you have to, so I guess I'm gonna have to tag along with you, eh?"

"I guess you will," said Ray, smirking. "Are the others going to steal chalices and join us as well?"

"Uh…no…that's the last thing I'd expect," said Mika harshly.

"Oh…so let me guess…they're all pissed at me?"

"Yeah well…you do realize Sam's going to MURDER you when you get back?" asked Mika. Ray grinned.

"When I get back? We're not out of this yet, missy," Ray pointed out.

"You're not gonna die while I'm around, smartass."

"No, but you might. Get down!" he shouted, pulling her down. A floating creature had flown right over them. It was a dark, purple ball, and it had electricity coursing through its body.

"A thunder bomb," said Ray. "Just what I wanted to deal with."

But before he could get up and fight, Mika had already made two shots with her Dual Shooter. As the bomb tried to unleash a thunder blast, it was stunned by the blows.

"It's not dead yet!" warned Mika. "Wait here."

Mika dashed forward, her hair flying out behind her, as she leaped into the air and brought her racket down on the grinning monster, smashing into the ground. However, the bomb exploded, and Mika was shocked…mentally AND physically.

"Well, that looked fun," commented Ray sarcastically, as they walked onwards, with Mika trying to flatten her hair (she managed to do so after about five minutes). Eventually, they met a sahagin and a bomb. Working together, the Selkies managed to knock both of the creatures into each other, and they both died in the thunder bomb's explosion .

Mika sat by the water, staring into it, as they took another rest.

"What is it?" asked her friend.

"It's just that…I want to try something," she stated. Ray looked at her.

"Really? What's that?" he asked curiously. Mika dipped her hand into the water, and had her hands filled with the dark liquid. She winced.

"It feels weird…it makes your hand burn, but not horribly," she said. Mika looked over at Ray.

"I'm going to drink it."

"Are you crazy? Look what happened to De Nam!"

"But we don't know if he's dead yet. Plus…if this miasma is this thick, I'll have to build up a tolerance later…why not sooner?"

"Fair enough," admitted Ray grudgingly, kneeling beside her. "I'll try some, too." He scooped up the water in his hand.

"I'll go first," said Mika. She gulped for a second, feeling somewhat afraid, but managed to make herself pour the water into her mouth.

Ray stared at her in silent anxiety. "Well?"

Mika put on a grimace of pain and disgust, as she began to cough. Kneeling over the water, she let out choking groan and threw up.

"That bad, huh?" asked Ray, rubbing her back. Mika looked up, shivering.

"Damn…it's horrible…it makes your insides feel all weird…how the hell did De Nam manage to drink it for all this time!?" Mika moaned, rubbing her stomach.

"Let me try some," said Ray, drinking the water as well.

"You're not gonna like it," warned Mika grimly. She was right. Ray was able to handle it better than Mika, although he covered his mouth with hand, and his eye twitched.

"Delicious, isn't it?" asked Mika. Ray rolled his eyes.

"Well, now we have an idea of what De Nam went through," said Ray. "C'mon, we've gotta keep moving…the longer I've been in this stinkin' place, the weirder I feel."

"What do you mean?" asked Mika.

"I don't know…," admitted Ray, shrugging his shoulders. "But the deeper I move into this place…I just feel…less alive, in a way. You know what I mean?"

"So I'm not the only one," said Mika thoughtfully. "You felt it too."

"Yeah well, I'd kinda like to know why," said Ray. "Let's go."

The two Selkies moved on quietly, until they came across two magic plants and a thunder bomb. They hid behind a large grove of reeds, watching their enemies carefully.

"Oh boy…this'll be tough…I hate those damn plants," said Ray.

"Same here," agreed Mika. "We'll both aim for them. Then we'll take out the bomb."

However, the Selkies had a bigger problem. Without the Yukes, they didn't have the Yukes' vast knowledge of all the enemies of their world. So Mika and Ray didn't know that magic plants have heightened, super-high senses, and that the two plants had already noticed the Selkies' presence.

Ray and Mika jumped into the air, as a fire spell destroyed the weeds they had been hiding in. They looked up and saw the three monsters looking at them.

"Well…that plan didn't work out so well…did it?" asked Ray, letting out a laugh. Mika rolled her eyes.

"No shit, dumb ass," she responded, taking aim with her racket. However, she was forced to abandon the attempt as a thunder spell, a blizzard spell, and a meteor spell came at them. Ray and Mika both moved out of the way, although Ray was frozen, and Mika was sent flying backwards by the meteor. She maneuvered in the air to cast a clear spell on Ray, who was burned as soon as he unfroze, but took down the plant that had burned him. Mika nailed the other plant with two shots from her trusty racket, while Ray slid under the thunder bomb and hit it into the air. The bomb exploded high in the sky, while Ray and Mika watched the remaining sparks rain down from above.

"They looked somewhat like sparks from a campfire," said Mika. "Rather pretty."

"Yeah…like works of flame…how about we call them…fireworks?" asked Ray.

"Sounds good to me," answered Mika, running a hand through her silver hair. They moved on until they found another bridge of planks. Three sahagin were waiting.

"We've been waiting for you, Selkie girl!" hissed the first one.

"Who are they?" asked Ray, bewildered.

"Let's say you missed some things when you went missing in Selepation Cave," explained Mika.

"You drove us out of our old home," snarled the second.

"Now we're going to drive you out of our new one!" roared the third.

The three sahagin let out a ferocious battle cry and dashed forward in a straight line. Mika did a front flipped and kicked one in the face, knocking it backwards, while Ray tripped one and struck the other with his maul. One of the sahagin punched Ray, while another cast a blizzard spell on Mika. Ray knocked all three of the sahagin off balance, and unfroze Mika with a clear spell. The three sahagin prowled around the caravanners in a circle. Mika and Ray both made a beckoning "come on" motion with their hands.

One sahagin leaped forward, but Ray was ready for it. He blocked its attack with his racket, and flung the creature into the air, where Mika shot it repeatedly with her dual shot, while Ray covered her. The sahagin let out its death cry as it landed into the swamp and sunk to down into the seemingly bottomless water.

Another sahagin ran forward, it's mouth wide open, hissing, and bit Ray on the arm. Ray punched its ugly green head, and the aquatic monster released him. Ray shoved his weapon into the monster's gaping maw, and the sahagin choked as it couldn't breathe. Ray knocked the dead body off of his weapon.

Ray and Mika both faced the last remaining sahagin, giving it dual death glares. The sahagin stood very still, before running forward, screeching and shrieking wildly while it waved its arms.

Ray gave Mika a weird look as he stuck out his leg and tripped the monster. It smashed its head on one of the pegs in the wooden plank they were standing on, and its dark blue blood started to spread out on the soaked wood.

"Well…that was either really weird…or funny as hell," said Mika. Ray was chuckling.

"I mean…the way it just tripped…," he said, cracking a big grin. Mika was trying not to laugh, but she couldn't help it.

"I mean, what the hell!?" asked Mika, slapping her knee. Ray was clutching his sides. Eventually, the two stopped guffawing, and looked out towards the remaining expanse of the marsh.

"Alright…enough laughing…we've got to keep going," said Ray. Mika nodded, and together, they headed in deeper.

* * *

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we're done.

Favorite Parts: Mika and Ray's reunion, Ray noticing his sister's signs on the stones, the "fireworks" joke, and the tripping of the sahagin.

The three sahagin returned from Selepation Cave…I'll talk about them briefly. They simply were lame little enemies. They kind of sucked at fighting. The point is, most characters get a recurring enemy (Lianora is the only one that lacks one), and the sahagin are Mika's.

Mika and Ray have reunited in the swamp of their ancestor's demise. How romantic.

This chapter didn't focus much on Ray's past, but the next two will…so yeah…just wait for that, mmkay?

Also, unlike most chapters, I'm actually going to jump away from Conall Curach next chapter. The next chapter focuses on the rest of the caravanners.

Next Chapter: The caravanners are stuck without two of their caravanners, a carriage and their chalice. Sitting in the Fields of Fum, they have no idea what they can do. However, when another caravan decides to stay in the Fields of Fum, will the Tipa caravan get a chance to visit Conall Curach?

Armstrong: And so…I review...please…review…this story…do it…for Tida…

Goblin King: You're a rather depressing fellow, aren't you? Why don't you go out and get a life? Y'know, adopt a hobby instead of brooding in despair all the time.

Armstrong: Why don't you…go out…and get some strength…weakling?

Goblin King: I'M NOT WEAK! UGH!


	50. A Helping Hand

-piano solo- Oh, hi!

This is just a chapter describing what the other six caravanners are gonna do while Ray and Mika have fun in a swamp. :D

…that's it. Really. Nothing more. This is kind of a lame chapter, but it IS the 50th chapter! Hurrah!

It makes me wonder how quickly we'll get to the 80s, 90s, and 100s.

Alright, enough wondering. TIME TO START READING! DO IT NOW! –chapter teleports in-

* * *

"So…what's wrong with them you think?"

"Apparently, their friends have gone missing…"

"Really…I've heard that they've ditched them…"

"Well, the ones who left were Selkies, so I guess it's in their nature."

"I've got half a mind to go and shut them up," growled Garrett, curling his hands into fists.

"That's not saying much since you've only got half a mind normally," said Creston. Garrett jumped to his feet, but Nieta laid a hand on his shoulder, and he sat down again, fuming.

"Garrett, don't get worked up," soothed Star. "We would probably be gossiping too if we saw six random caravanners just loitering around."

"Seven, kupo," answered Mog. Star nodded in apology.

"Besides," said Lianora. "There's really nothing we can do."

"Sorry…," mumbled Garrett. "I just hate it…just the fact that we can't do ANYTHING…"

"Well, now you know how we felt when you were on a volcanic island," pointed out Lia bluntly.

"That's not his point," said Sam, interrupting the conversation. "I feel the same, Garrett. I just feel so…useless."

"Well…that's how we're going to feel for a while," said Creston. "But we have to forget about it. Getting down and depressed about it isn't going to solve anything. We simply have to endure."

"And how long?" demanded Nieta. "Until they come back? Heck, we don't even know if they'll come back!"

"It's true," agreed Star sadly. "But still…Mika and Ray…what will happen to them, you think?"

"It doesn't matter as of right now," said Creston. "What matters is what we're going to do-"

But he was interrupted by a large creaking sound. Just then, the caravan from Marr's Pass rolled into town.

"Hey there!" said one of the Lilties, waving. "You're that Tipa caravan we met a while ago. How're things?"

"Well, they're not so good for us, but they seem to be going well for you," said Sam. Star walked forward, smiling.

"It's good to see you three on your feet again," she said in greeting.

"Thanks…we were just heading to Selepation Cave to get some myrrh…what's up with you guys? How's your hunt going?" asked a second Lilty.

"Well…not well, I'm afraid," said Sam. He began to describe the story of what happened.

"So basically, if they both die, we can't go after them without our chalice," finished Sam. The Lilties looked thoughtful.

"Well…tell you what," said the lone female of the trio. "Let us get some rest here, and afterwards, we'll let you travel with us to the Rebena Plains."

"What!?" exclaimed Garrett, shocked. "Why?"

"You helped us once in our time of need, and now we're helping you," responded another Lilty. "We don't any villages getting taken over by miasma."

"So we'll take you to Conall Curach, and we can get your chalice and Fum's chalices there," decided the third Lilty.

"I…I don't know what to say," stammered Lianora. "Thank you very much. You don't know how much this means to us."

"We do," argued the first Lilty. "We've all faced horrible problems before. Now, we're just gonna go take some naps, and when we're done, we'll pack up and move out. Okay?"

The Tipa caravan nodded.

Sam hugged Star in happiness, while Garrett grinned at Nieta and Lianora, who returned his smile (well, at least Nieta did. But Lia had an air of warmth about her). They could go and rescue Ray and Mika! Their friends and their village would be saved!

Creston watched them all. He alone hadn't cheered, or hadn't expressed his happiness at the thought. There was nothing to be happy about.

They could go and look for them…but who said that they'd actually find them?

Creston's thoughts swirled in his mind. Mika and Ray may already be dead. There was only a 50% chance that they were still alive (50% they were alive, 50% they were dead). And on top of that, Conall Curach was a big, wet, deep swamp. If Ray and Mika fell in the water, or one of the chalices fell in the water, then it wouldn't matter if Mika and Ray had lived or died. A village could be left without a chalice. And what would happen then?

Immediately, Creston decided to keep these thoughts to himself. No need to dampen the happy mood, right? For now, he would let them be happy. But deep down, he believed that he alone was prepared for the absolute worst.

* * *

And we're done! Yet another REALLY short chapter…I didn't like this one so much, but the next one will be good! I promise!

Favorite Parts: Creston's figuring at the end.

This chapter was a sandwich! Angst, joy, and then more angst.

So basically, in repayment for helping them after the Black Knight incident, the Marr's Pass caravan is going to take Tipa to Conall Curach to find Mika and Ray. Hurrah!

But once again, there is another deep meaning in this chapter. Creston knows that it's not going to be easy, and that they might not find what they want to see within the swamp.

So…this was a short filler chapter…but a very dark, foreshadowing chapter. Muahahaha!

So the suspense has been summoned! Now, we'll all be wondering what happens to Mika and Ray (except me, of course!)

Next Chapter: Mika and Ray head further into Conall Curach. But when Ray finds both a material object and sign of his sister, he begins to act strange. Will Ray's past be revealed, along with his reasons for joining the caravan?

Goblin King: I'm reviewing now, you snot-nosed reading brats! Review, or else…uh…

Lizardman King: You are not exactly threatening, you know that? It'sss not like you can threaten them sssuccesssfully.

Goblin King: SHUT UP, YOU WRETCHED REPTILE!


	51. Ray's Mission: Solving the Mystery

-EXPLOSION- Okay, so now we're back on track!

We return to Conall Curach! And yay! Ray's story is finally revealed! HURRAH!

But there is angst. Dun dun dun!

I guess I won't keep you all waiting with this unneeded author's note. So…get reading.

-SECOND EXPLOSION-

* * *

"Look," said Mika, pointing forward, up ahead.

Ray had already seen it. In the beginning of Conall Curach, the land had been lush and green, wet, but growing. But here, the grass was yellowish, and grew in patches.

"The land decays the further we go in," said Ray, nodding. "The more we head in, the deader it will become."

"Yeah…I guess…c'mon, let's stop admiring the scenery and keep going…," urged Mika.

The two Selkies walked on forward until they came to two paths. Ray glanced at Mika.

"Left or right?" he asked.

"Left."

They both moved across the wooden planks. There was a lot less land here, and a lot more water. The Selkies of old must've built these bridges long ago to move throughout this dreadful place.

As Ray and Mika reached a patch of land in between two planks, two sahagin ambushed them by leaping out of the water.

"Be careful," warned Ray, wielding his racket.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me," retorted Mika, shooting two rapid shots at an oncoming sahagin. It was knocked backwards, but responded by blow a large jet of cold air at Mika. Mika dodged to avoid getting hit; she didn't know what the chilling breath would do, but she didn't want to find out!

Ray bashed his sahagin over the head with his maul, but the sahagin leaped on top of him, bearing down on him. Ray struggled with it for a moment, before kicking it off of him. Mika ducked, and the second sahagin flew into the first. Once they were both dazed in a crumpled heap, the Selkies killed them.

They moved on in silence. Mika was shivering. It was oddly chilly here. How did the Selkies of long ago handle this?

Ray noticed his cold companion, and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her close. "Don't worry, I won't do anything perverted," he promised.

Mika looked at him in surprise. Now there was something she never thought she'd hear. Something was clearly troubling Ray…well, at least more than what she knew.

Eventually, after taking care of another sahagin (which took a little over two minutes, because Mika had to convince Ray not to trip one again), they came across some new enemies. In front of a large rock were two Gigan Toads, and a simple yellow flan. Ray sent a fire spell at the flan, and the burning creature slithered towards them, although Mika disposed of it quickly. The toads proved to be more troublesome, as Mika was frozen twice, and Ray was licked by a long, sticky, toad tongue (which he claimed had messed up his hair). But they managed to prevail, with two well aimed fire spells and rapid volley of shots from their rackets.

Ray walked up to the next stone. He kneeled down and began to read.

_To those who follow:_

_We have lost many of our own._

_Be ever vigilant as you advance._

Ray looked down, and sure enough, found another piece of bandanna attached to the rock. This time, there was something different…there was a carving next to the cloth…an arrow…and it was pointing to another carving…letters. Ray squinted, looking closely. The carvings were old, but still legible.

F.Z. and B.Z.

"What does that mean?" asked Ray aloud. He tried to think of what the initials could mean. He racked his brain. Then it clicked, and a look of dawning comprehension appeared on his features.

"Mom? Dad?" he whispered. F.Z. and B.Z.

Farah Zul and Beda Zul.

His parents.

"What's up with you?" asked Mika, striding over towards him, her arms full of goodies. Ray got up, silent. Then he spoke.

"Nothing. C'mon…let's go back…this is a dead end."

They began to retrace their steps, until they reached the two paths again. This time they took the right. After another few battles with sahagin, they arrived at another fork.

"Left again," said Ray. Soon they walked forward, but Mika stuck out an arm in front of Ray. She pointed forward.

"Okay…call me crazy, but haven't we seen this wood before?" she asked, pointing at some logs ahead. Ray kneeled down and looked at the wood closely. It was light tan-brown, and had occasional red stripes on it.

"Red, huh?" he asked. "I don't know, but let's keep going."

Mika and Ray continued walking, but then they came across another set of logs, as well as a horrible sight. Mika gagged, and Ray just let out shocked breath, and groaned, trying not to feel nauseated…and failing.

Up ahead, up against the red and tan logs, was the dead, rotting corpse of a lizardman…a big lizardman. Its mouth was gaping open, its eyes glassy and unblinking. But the worst thing about this image was the creature's body, not the head. The flesh had been stripped from the reptiles chest, which was in the water (the neck of the beast was snagged on a sharp twig, keeping the neck and up above water, but the rest below). Ray winced and looked away as he good see bones and ribs sticking out of the remains…

"Dear god…that is disgusting," groaned Mika in a sickened tone.

"So that's where we've seen them before," croaked Ray. "That's that lizardman Garrett fought…Snair…at Daemon's Court. He got caught on the logs."

"That thing creeps me out," said Mika, shivering as she eyed the body as if it was about to jump to its feet and attack.

"Ha! I'm not worried about Snair; I'm worried about what DID this to him," said Ray sharply. "Let's go in this direction. I want to know what happened."

Creeping quietly along the logs, trying to ignore the sight of the decaying remains and overwhelming stench, the Selkies made their way across a bridge of planks. Ray eventually spotted a trail of old, dried blood, and the two began to follow it.

Two sahagin jumped out of the water, tails lashing wildly, hissing and spitting. Ray dodged a swipe of a fin, and beat his sahagin away from him, while Mika fired shots at it from behind at its back. After it had been dealt with, Mika hit her sahagin over the head. Confused, the second sahagin walked right off the edge of the small island they were on, and plunged into the cold water.

"Not very smart, are they?" asked Ray. Mika murmured in agreement. The two Selkies moved on in silence, moving across board after board, still following the trail of blood. Eventually they reached a large island. This island was different than most of the one they had seen before. This island was dark brown and dead-looking. There were small occasional patches of grass, but mostly, it was all dirt and rock. In the center, stood a large monster. He was a darkish grey, tall and lean, and had a long whip-like tail. It resembled a sahagin, but seemed tall, bigger, and meaner. It looked at the caravanners with its large ugly face.

"Oh look…more Selkies are visiting our humble home," he said, a long slimy tongue flicking out of his mouth to lick his lips. "I am the Sahagin Lord, the strongest of all sahagin. What brings you to our lovely paradise?"

"As if you don't know," snarled Mika, gripping her racket tightly.

"Well…I suppose this isn't going to end well for one of us," replied the Sahagin Lord. "You want the myrrh tree…but we are reluctant to give it to you…this presents a problem, doesn't it.

'_This guy's smart_,' thought Ray. '_I can tell…he's not going to go down as easily as the other ones._'

"Well, I suppose I'm alright with fighting," decided the aquatic monster. "I haven't eaten Selkies in a long time. The last good meal I got was that lizardman we found.

Ray shuddered as he remembered the dead body. So this was the monster that had eaten Snair. Oh boy.

"Yes…it's been forever since I've had Selkie…I saw one recently, but he ran off further into the swamp…"

Ray perked up. "Was he wearing a bandanna?" he asked.

"Yes…a red one…it looked somewhat like yours…," stated the Sahagin Lord. He then struck a thoughtful pose. "But for some reason, you remind me more of that girl that I had seen a long time ago. What could it be…one or two years, maybe?"

Ray stiffened, and felt a cold chill course throughout his body. "Was this girl…wearing a blue bandanna?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Oh yes…she was a feisty one too…and yet…she had no chalice with her…it makes me wonder how she could have survived."

'_Dah Zul got separated from the Leuda caravan in this place_,' realized Mika, knowing now why Ray kept asking these strange questions.

"And to think I almost had her to," continued the monster, reminiscing. "But no…she ran…killed two of my best men…and then she jumped into the water…I think she tried to swim away, but she should've known better. It's almost impossible for OUR kind to breathe in there."

Ray's hands were trembling. This had been the monster that had led his sister to her death. His eyes burned with a fiery rage, and his teeth were bared. It was time to avenge her. The Sahagin Lord noticed this change in expression.

"Oh…was she close to you?" he asked. "Then I suppose you're angry, which means talk is most likely over, eh?"

Ray let out an enraged roar and ran towards the Sahagin Lord, while Mika tried to stop him, but thought better of it and ran forward with him. The monster leaped back and snapped his webbed fingers, and four brown sahagin burst out from the ground.

"Nice try…," said the Sahagin Lord silkily. "But your anger and rage shouldn't cloud your vision."

"Stone sahagin," growled Mika with gritted teeth. Stone sahagin were known to boast a mighty defense, and strong attacks. But now Mika was extra worried. If the sahagin could burst out of the ground, that meant that anywhere they walked, there could be an ambush.

Ray didn't seem worried. Leaping over the newly arrived stone sahagin, he swung his racket right at the larger sahagin, only to be knocked back by a large webbed hand. Ray landed next to Mika.

"That accomplished a lot," she drawled. Ray rolled his eyes and got to his feet.

"Gravity?" he asked.

"Yeah…," Mika replied, smirking. Both of the Selkies began flailing there rackets wildly, knocking back all four of the sahagin. Combining their magic, they made a powerful gravity spell that hit all five of the monsters.

"Good…now their health should be down," said Ray. Both Selkies ran forward and got locked into combat. Mika dodged two attacks from the sahagin, and managed to trip one. However, a second sahagin stabbed her in the back with a sharp, icy claw, and she let out a painful grunt.

Ray was doing better, but only just. He weaved between the monsters, trying to get to the Lord, but one sahagin kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind right out of him. He got up, and raised his arms in what seemed to be surrender. The stone sahagin lunged at him with a claw, but Ray ducked, and it stabbed its comrade.

"What!?" shouted the monster, as its friend fell lifelessly to the ground. At the same time, Mika bashed her monster over the head before whacking it in the throat, knocking it into the water. The stone creature couldn't stay afloat, and sunk downwards.

"Don't think you've won yet!" snarled a sahagin, lashing out with its long tail. The tail wrapped around Ray's arm, pulling him down to the ground. The sahagin proceeded to cut him open with its claws.

"Ray!" cried Mika, but at that moment, the remaining stone sahagin wrapped its arms around her. Mika kicked her legs, but to no avail, as the Sahagin Lord ran up to her, raising a large hand. Mika, thinking on instinct, raised her leg up quickly.

The Sahagin Lord let out a weak cry and toppled to the ground, clutching in between his legs.

"Cheater!" it hissed painfully.

"That's what I always say!" came Ray's muffled voice from the ground. His stone sahagin stomped on him to shut him up. Mika kicked her sahagin in the shin, and it dropped her, spitting. Mika grabbed it by the arm and hurled it over her shoulder, hitting Ray's opponent backwards into the water. But she had forgotten that Ray was bound by the sahagin's tail, and he too plunged into the water. Meanwhile, Mika's sahagin got up, rubbing its head, and moving to stand next to the Sahagin Lord, in a battle position.

Mika gritted her teeth and tried not to panic. That was proving to be difficult. Ray could drown! Well…that was the least of her worries. For one thing, if Ray drowned, he would die. Second of all, he was in miasma water, so that made it WORSE! Oh, and that' not even counting the fact that the Tipa caravan's chalice was tied on his back, so if he died, bye bye Tipa.

Mika tried to make a dive into the water, but was stabbed in the side by the stone sahagin. She cursed herself mentally as she was frozen.

Meanwhile, underwater, Ray was struggling, as he and the stone sahagin sank further into the swamp. The water had started out as a murky turquoise, but now it was getting darker and blacker, as Ray sank into the abyss below. Ray's eyes were bugging out of his head. He needed air now. The stone sahagin leered at him, and it tried to swim up, but its rocky body was too heavy. Ray needed a plan fast.

Ray lunged for the sahagin, and grabbed it by the neck. All sahagin could breathe underwater, but not all of them could swim. Sahagin had gills as well as lungs. And if you breathe air into gills…

Ray positioned his mouth over the gills and breathed hard. A screeching noise emerged from the sahagins throat, along with an impressive amount of bubbles, as the sahagin let go of him. Ray kicked off of the monsters body, and shot for the surface.

Mika felt her body unfreeze, and she dropped to her knees. She looked over at the black water. Ray still hadn't surfaced. No…they had almost lost him once…not again.

But that was the least of her problems. The stone sahagin grabbed her violently, and pulled her to her feet, holding her up. The Sahagin Lord marched towards her, pulling back its webbed hand, preparing to deal a death blow. Mika gave one last defiant glare.

SPLOOSH!

Both sahagin turned to see Ray shoot out of the water, and shoot his racket. He hit the stone sahagin in its brain, and knocked it to the ground. Mika felt her body get dropped, and Ray pulled her away from the remaining sahagin.

"Stay here," he ordered, setting her down gently. He ran back into battle, preparing to fight the remaining enemy.

"So…you've taken out my men…but I shall return the favor," spat the Sahagin Lord.

"You've already taken out someone that was important to me," said Ray, his eyes determined.

The Sahagin Lord looked momentarily confused. Then his eyes gleamed. "Oh…I see…that Selkie girl…I take it she was your mother? No, sister…you are too old, and she is too young. And I can see that this one here is your lover."

Mika waited for Ray to deny this, but he didn't say a word. In response, he flung a rock at the Sahagin Lord, unbalancing him. Ray dashed at his foe, but the Sahagin Lord wasn't done yet. He swiped a hand at Ray, before aiming at him with a kick. Ray dodged and put some distance between him and the monster, before healing himself with a striped apple.

"So now the baby brother comes to avenge his dead sister," taunted the beast. "Too bad this ending will be tragic."

Ray's eyes glowed with rage, and he swung his racket at the Sahagin Lord, but the aquatic enemy simply smacked his weapon out of his hand. Mika swore. Ray had fallen for the bait. He was in a frenzy. He had to calm down and analyze the situation wisely.

Ray was now weaponless, and the Sahagin Lord kicked him down towards the body of the dead stone sahagin. He looked down at him with savage triumph on his scaly features.

"Now for the end," he hissed. Ray's eyes widened, and he wracked his brain for possible ways out of this.

"Ray!" shouted Mika, struggling to her feet.

"Too late!" shouted the Sahagin Lord, swinging his arm.

But Ray was faster. Without even blinking, he grabbed the sahagin corpse next to him, and shoved the clawed arm at the Sahagin Lord's throat. The long claw pierced the skin, and the Lord's eyes bulged.

"You…you…you dare use my men against me?!" demanded the Lord.

"You ambushed us, so this is only fair," countered Ray, twisting the arm. The Sahagin Lord made to reply, but merely coughed, and removed himself from his companion's claw. The Sahagin Lord tried to make a reply, but he dropped to his knees and fell on his back.

Ray stared down at the monster for a moment, before turning his back on it. He went and sat down next to Mika.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yeah…I'm fine," she replied.

"That's good," he responded quietly. Silence. Mika turned to face him.

"Ray…what's up?" she asked.

"Hmmm?"

"I mean like…what's this whole deal with you…and your sister…and De Nam…there's gotta be some deeper meaning here."

Ray looked at the grey sky, and then turned to face her.

"I'm sorry," began Mika. "I mean- you don't have to tell me if you don't want to-"

"My family was a part of the Tipa caravan," Ray began unexpectedly. "One year they came back…but they had forgotten some things…memories or something."

Mika nodded, listening.

"They went from caravanners to merchants…and researchers."

"Researchers?" asked Mika, puzzled.

"That's right. They wanted to solve the mysteries of the world. And maybe, in the process, find their memory by doing so."

"So they would occasionally go off with other caravans and such, and fight, as well as take notes," said Ray.

"But then one year…it happened."

"What happened?" asked Mika.

Ray let out a long, low sigh. "I was six. My sister was eleven. My mom and dad had raised enough money to buy a portable crystal in the black market, like the one the Striped Brigands have. Our parents went out to explore, heading for a certain place."

"Where did they go?" asked Mika fearfully, knowing the answer.

Ray waved a hand around them. "Conall Curach. That stone I was examining earlier? It had my parent's initials on it, and a piece of my sister's bandanna."

"They never returned. My sister and I waited and waited, but they never came back. So we took over the family business, raised by Roland and the rest of the village. However, we made a vow that when we were both old enough, we'd go out searching for them."

Mika nodded. "But something went wrong," she said.

"Well…not so much wrong as inconvenient. My sister refused to join the caravan, instead staying to raise me. By the time our old caravan retired, I was old enough to head out, but my sister didn't want to abandon the family business. She had grown to get used to it. So we made the decision that I would explore the outside world, and she would try to find out information from customers."

"So…I guess that's it," said Ray. "That's my reason for joining the caravan. To find out what my parents' fate was…and solving their mystery for them."

Mika pulled him into a warm hug. It wasn't one of those gushy, romantic hugs that Sam and Star would have. It was simple, yet Ray felt ten times better.

"So you hide your true self under a mask of wise cracks and sarcasm," Mika figured softly. "All so the others wouldn't worry about you…Ray…you're a very good man."

Ray stood up, and brushed off his dirty clothes. "Nah…I'm still a wise ass…but…I guess you could say I just want to know the truth. I just want to know WHY. I want answers."

"Well…maybe if we continue to head deeper in…you'll find them," said Mika. Ray nodded.

"Hey…Mika…thanks for listening," he said, as they walked back the way they came.

"Heh…I'm not a total bitch...I'll listen to your problems anytime."

"Ha! Glad to hear it!"

* * *

Later on, they were advancing across large planks of wood through a giant patch of reeds.

Mika knocked a flan into a magic plant, while Ray finished them off.

"I swear, we've passed that same patch of reeds five times," said Ray, pointing to said patch.

"How the heck can you tell!?" asked Mika, folding her arms.

"I…don't know," answered Ray, shrugging. The two thieves moved on, and met a Gigan toad and a flan.

"Watch this," said Ray, snickering. Ray ran out in between the toad and flan.

"Oy! Blizzard breath! Over here!" he shouted. The toad turned around and glared at him irritably, before shooting out its long tongue. Ray moved out of the way, and the tongue grabbed the flan instead. Mika kicked the flan (and the toad's tongue) back over into the toad's mouth. As the amphibian choked on the yellow goo, Ray lit it on fire with a Fira spell.

"I guess even Gigan toads don't like the taste of flan," said Mika.

"I dare you to eat one," challenged Ray, snickering.

"I'll pass," refused Mika dryly.

They continued to head through the maze of plants, attacking and battling every monster they came across. Eventually, after taking out a pesky magic plant that shocked Mika twice, they reached a fork in the road, guarded by a flan.

The flan slithered forward, and sprayed both Selkies with slow gas. Ray swung his racket, but the flan dodged easily. Its red eyes glittered, as if mocking them.

But flan weren't very smart. They lacked brains, after all. And so the little flan didn't realize that when the slow spell stopped working, it would be brutally killed. So the flan really didn't see Mika's roundhouse kick coming.

Ray ran a hand through his long hair. "Déjà vu. Another fork in the road. What way shall we go?"

Mika frowned, stroking her hair thoughtfully. She looked ahead. One of the paths led deeper into the surrounding plants. The other led down across a river. Mika pointed to the second path. "Let's take this one."

They walked down the long pathway, eventually coming across a magic plant. After a couple of burns, they defeated the plant and continued to move along the river. The two Selkies arrived at the end of the path and stepped on the muddy land. Mika looked around. There wasn't anything here, really. Just a dead end.

"I don't get it…," she stated, turning to Ray. "Why is there nothing here? Why would the Selkies build a path to nothing?"

"I couldn't tell you. I'm not hundreds of years old."

They took a couple of steps when Mika stopped Ray. She made a gesture to quiet him down.

_Bzzzzzzzzz._

Ray nodded in understanding. He had heard it too. They looked around, rackets in hand, and moved back to back, ensuring that they had no blind spots. After a few moments, the buzzing stopped.

"Wonder what that was?" asked Ray.

"I don't know, but I guess it's gone-"

Mika was interrupted by a loud screech from above. Both Selkies looked up immediately to see a monstrous creature diving down at them from the sky.

"Shit!" swore Ray. "Mika move!" He grabbed her and dragged her away from the attacking monster as it slammed into the ground. Once they had gained enough distance, Ray looked back at the creature. It was large and green, and resembled an enormous, overgrown insect. It had large wings, and long jagged claws on its hands.

"Crap…isn't that what you call an Armageddon?" asked Ray.

"They're…they're called abbadons…genius," corrected Mika, shivering.

"What's with you?" asked Ray, bewildered. "I know it's cold but not THAT cold."

"I just hate bugs, okay?!" admitted Mika.

"You were fine with the Tiny Worms," pointed out Ray bluntly.

"I'm fine with anything I can crush under my foot," snarled Mika. "But those things…I hate them…and those giant beetles in Selepation Cave…"

"Okay, so you have a fear of bugs, it's not something that's a big deal. But now that I know, I can get you a good birthday present."

"I'll kill you."

"Yea- wait, what about the monster?"

BOOM! A curse spell exploded around both of the caravanners, and they were sent flying. The abaddon roared, flexing its powerful arms. Ray got to his feet slowly. He and Mika looked at each other and nodded. Casting a quick clear spell on himself, he prepared himself to cast a spell, as the abaddon lunged at him again. Ray dodged it narrowly, and stuck it with a gravity spell with Mika's help. The monster plummeted to the ground. Ray ran up and smacked it silly with his paddle, as Mika shot projectiles from afar. Ray grabbed onto one of the arms of the beast as it rose back into the air. The abaddon flung the Selkie off and aimed a giant punch at him. Ray was knocked right back into the ground.

Ray was curled up in a ball, gritting his teeth, gripping his crotch. "I swear…all of those monsters are in on it. THIS CANNOT BE A COINCIDENCE!"

As the abaddon prepared to bear down on him, it let out another screech and a second abaddon appeared. Mika snuck up behind the two insect-like beings, and waved to Ray. Ray nodded, still wincing at the previous blow, and worked with Mika to bring down the two monsters. The second one land crushed the first under it, and Ray moved closer and beat both monsters down.

Mika let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god that's over," she said. Ray didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the monsters.

Mika's eyes focused on him, confused. "Ray? What is it?"

Ray pointed at one of the abaddon's green hands. There, snagged on a long jagged scythe of a claw, was a red bandanna that looked worn, torn, and broken.

"What is it?" asked Mika. Ray was silent for a moment longer. Then he spoke.

"It's De Nam's bandanna," he said quietly.

"So…does that mean he's…?" asked Mika fearfully. Ray sighed and picked up the bandanna. He tied it on his arm.

"Most likely. Well…we've found what happened to him…we can turn back…"

"What!? Are you crazy? We're not leaving yet!" exclaimed Mika.

"What do you mean?" questioned Ray.

"Well we can't just leave empty handed," began Mika. "And you've got a mission to complete, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-" said Ray.

"But nothing. I may be tough, and I may have an attitude, but I'm not gonna be a jerk who makes you leave. You and I are gonna see this whole thing through to the end."

Ray looked away for a minute.

"What is it?" asked his companion.

"Thanks a lot. Really. I'm really touched, Mika," he said.

Mika nodded back vaguely. That had to be the most sincere thing he had ever said to her. She realized that she was blushing. When had Ray gotten to be so…mature…kind…what the hell happened to the sarcastic bastard she knew and loved?

Wait. Wait. Loved? That was wrong. She didn't love him! Did she?

"Uh…Mika. I know I'm gorgeous, but you don't have to remain silent when you look at me," said Ray, smirking.

Ah. There he was.

"Ah, shut up!" growled Mika playfully. "Now come on! We've got a myrrh tree to find- as well as some answers on the way!"

* * *

Ugh…that chapter was long…but so AWESOME to right!

Favorite Parts: I loved the entire chapter…I can't really pick any parts. Probably the Sahagin Lord battle, Ray's tale, and the finding of the bandanna.

So De Nam is…dead…-sniff-….-sobs-

And Ray realizes his sister's fate…poor guy…and now we know of Ray's parents! They became explorers, trying to find out the mysteries of the world in order to restore their memory. But they died, and so did his sister…so now Ray is the only one left.

I've always thought the Sahagin Lord was cool…and he was cool in this chapter…I didn't really focus as much on capturing every battle…but I still think I did okay, regardless.

So now, Mika and Ray have decided to continue on, because if they came back without any myrrh, Sam would hang them both. And not-so-subtle hints at romance.

Next Chapter: As Ray and Mika head deeper into Conall Curach, everything around them continues to decay and die around them. But within them, feelings are alive and skyrocketing. As the battles heat up, so does the romance!


	52. The Dead Lands

-dramatic music- G'day mates!

Here, Ray and Mika head through the last area of Conall Curach…the dry, dark, and dead part….BEHEMOTHS GALORE!

This chapter is going to be somewhat romantic but not TOTALLY….so yeah!

NOW LISTEN! SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT HERE! As there are undead monsters within this level, Ray and Mika are going to face some problems, as Creston is the only caravanner who can cast a holy spell. HOWEVER, they are going to be able to use a holy spell by combining a phoenix down (which is essentially a life spell, although there is no life spell in my story) and an element magic (fire, ice, or thunder). This is just about the only thing I can do, unless I give either Ray or Mika the ability to cast a holy spell, but I want that power to remain solely with Creston.

Hmmm…not much else to say…I'll just go ahead and start the chapter –scene change-

* * *

Ray was wondering if he was still in Conall Curach, because the further he moved into the swamp, the stranger it had gotten.

In the beginning, the land had been green and wet, but all in all very lush. Later, the land had gotten drier in some parts, but it had gotten very overgrown in some sections. But now…

It was dead.

Everything around them was decaying or decayed. The grass, which had once been a deep dark green, was a dark brown color. There were no reeds coming up from the water, or any other plants around the two Selkies. The water was darker here…and the place gave off a strange aura. Not sinister…not malevolent…but just…nothingness. Mika felt it too, judging by her perplexed facial expression. The feeling that nothing could be done, a feeling of despair. Ray also started to feel a lot like the landscape, feeling deader than he ever had before. His ordeal in Selepation Cave didn't even compare. Was this how the Selkies of old felt when they arrived here?

Mika looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'm just thinking…I found out what happened to my sister and De Nam…my sister got as far as the Sahagin Lord…De Nam made it at least to the abbadons…but what about my parents? I haven't seen any signs of them since the last rock I saw," explained Ray.

"Well…if we keep going, you might find the answers," said Mika. Ray nodded in agreement. They couldn't stop now.

The Selkies moved further into the dark landscape, and walked across a bridge. They met a magic plant on a big island. The magic plant let out a challenging screech and sent a green seed flying at both Selkies. Mika rolled out of the way, while Ray ducked. The male Selkie was then hit by a thunder spell that was cast speedily by the powerful flora.

Mika aimed her racket, trying to get a clear shot and get the magic plant off of Ray, but something grabbed her legs from below. Shocked, Mika looked down to see a dark brown arm emerging from the earth below. A head appeared from the ground, and Mika looked into the leering face of a stone sahagin. Angry at herself for being caught off guard, she kicked the monster in the face; it let go of her leg with a yelp. Mika moved just in time to avoid a fire spell, and used her Blizzard Ring to finish off the magic plant. She used a clear spell on the shocked Ray, and then turned back to the stone sahagin, who had finally crawled out of the ground completely. Before any of the fighters could make a move, however, a deafening roar interrupted them.

"Holy shit…," muttered Ray in awe as a startling creature moved toward them. It was tall and muscular, and dark purple in color. It had a yellow mane on the back of its neck, and it had a red and purple fin-like crest running down its back. It had black claws on each foot, and a large purple tail that was red at the end. Its face was dragonish and had long black horns protruding from its head, and its green eyes glowed with evil. Ray knew exactly what these were- his mother had told him about them a long time ago.

Behemoths. Ray had thought they were just made up stories. Now he knew just how wrong he was. This wasn't a fairy tale. This was REAL.

"Behemoth!" shouted Mika, smacking the stone sahagin away. "I thought they didn't exist."

"They do," croaked Ray. "We've just confirmed their existence."

The behemoth snarled, and lashed out with one of its clawed feet. Ray did a back flip to avoid the blow, and aimed a shot at the monster via mid air. The behemoth was struck, but it didn't seem to be hurt. On the contrary, it seemed to grow even angrier. Mika finished off the stone sahagin, but another one emerged near the behemoth.

Ray ran at the monster, dodged another claw, and beat it with his racket, but the behemoth was not going to be defeated that easily. It let out a grunt and gored Ray with its horns. Ray felt an electric shock surge through him, almost twice as powerful as the magic plant from before, and couldn't move. The behemoth raised its tail and slammed it down on the ground, sending a burning ring of fire around Ray. Ray was burnt badly, but was free to move as he ran away, flames lacking eagerly at his body. Mika knocked the stone sahagin into the behemoths side, and the behemoth turned on her. Mika dodged a claw, and viciously struck its head. The giant monster seemed dazed, but managed to whack her away with its arm. Mika used her new Blizzard ring to hit the dazed monster as she soared towards Ray. Ray helped his fallen comrade to her feet, and they both fired an array of shots at the dragon. The behemoth let out one final, defiant roar, before falling over on top of the stone sahagin, who let out a weak whimper before he was crushed.

Ray flopped onto the ground, panting next to Mika. Mika looked at him.

"I'm so short of breath…even miasma tolerance isn't helping," panted Ray. Mika nodded.

"Yeah…this place is…totally consumed…by miasma," Mika managed to get out. Both Selkies used cure spells on each other.

"Kupo!" came a shout from nearby. Both Selkies turned to see the mail moogle running towards them.

"I've got mail for you ku-wait, where's the rest of you?" asked the moogle, confused.

"They're not here with us…," said Mika.

"Oh…," responded the mail moogle.

"You weren't supposed to show up until next chapter," said Ray sternly.

"I wasn't?" asked the moogle. "What chapter are we on?"

"Currently, Chapter 52," answered Ray.

"Oh crap…well…do you want your mail now?" asked the moogle hesitantly.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR MAIL!" shouted Mika, annoyed. "WE STILL HAVE TO GET THROUGH AN ENTIRE SWAMP!"

"Sheesh, fine!" yelled the moogle. "But just for that, I'm not giving you your mail until later."

And so the little creature scurried off.

"That was weird," muttered Mika. She turned to look at Ray, who was examining a rock, lips moving as he read the words. Mika got up and trotted over to look at the words carved into the stone:

_To those who follow:_

_I am the only one left._

_I can build the road no more._

…

_To those who follow:_

_Be steadfast in your path_

_Find a place we Selkies can call our own!_

Mika looked down further to see the initials from before etched into the rock. "So you're parents made it here," she deduced. Ray nodded.

"It seems so," he replied. "But they went further. And so should we."

After resting for a few moments longer, the Selkies moved on.

* * *

The two were walking a long line of planks, before they encountered another unpleasant creature. This monster was transparent, and was white with long ribbon-like arms. It had a black belly, and sunken yellow eyes.

"Uh oh…it's an undead…and we don't have Creston here to cast Holy for us…," said Ray. The ghost heard the voices, and floated forward. Mika tried to hit it away, but her club passed right through the undead.

"How do we kill it?" asked Mika. The ghost shivered for a moment, and as Ray was about to answer, the ghost froze him solid. Mika cursed, and unfroze him.

"We need to find a way to use a Holy Spell," he continued. "But how…"

Mika thought for a moment. Then she had an unexpected jolt of brilliance.

"Ray, a phoenix down!"

"What?" asked Ray, dodging another punch from the ghost, and almost falling into the water in the process.

"A phoenix down brings a person back to life! So why can't it bring a monster back to life?"

"But monsters carry phoenix down, and still die," pointed out Ray, keeping his distance from the ghost. "You'd have to combine the phoenix down with something that would hurt the monster, like-"

"Magic?" asked Mika, twirling the Blizzard Ring in her hand, grinning. Ray looked at her, a clever grin forming on his face.

"Dear god, I love you," he said, with a clever laugh. Mika blushed, but it went away quickly. He didn't mean it- it was just a joke. She sighed inwardly. It was joke, as usual with Ray.

"Okay Mika, we gotta take him out now!" yelled Ray. "On the count of three! One…two…three!"

Mika cast her magic, and Ray tossed a phoenix down at the ghost. There was a flash of light, and both Selkies waited.

The ghost reappeared, flailing its arms wildly. However, it was now opaque. The idea had been a success.

"Now!" shouted Ray, shooting a fire spell at the ghost. It was burned and it stood still in the air, before dissolving.

"Wow…they're pushovers when they're solid," said Ray. Mika nodded.

"Yeah…it seems that lots of monsters are pushovers," she replied.

The two thieves kept walking along the planks, encountering many forks in the road. After a battle with another ghost, and two stone sahagin, they landed on another island. Here, they found two creatures waiting for them; a stone sahagin standing by the water's edge, and a purple flan. Ray looked at Mika, and pointed at the sahagin. Mika understood. They both fired blasts from their weapons and knocked the monster into the water, where its solid stone body sank beneath the surface.

Ray looked over at the flan. It didn't seem to have noticed them. Ray moved backwards, then ran forward and making a massive leap, bringing his racket down on the creature.

To his enormous shock, his weapon went right through the creature. Ray stared. Now that he was up close, he realized that the flan was…transparent. A dark flan.

Oops. The flan turned around, and it him with its wobbly body. How the heck could they hit him, but he couldn't hit them?

Mika tossed Ray a phoenix down. He shoved it inside the monster's see through body, and used a fire spell. The flan became solid, and Ray finished it off with another fire spell.

Ray rubbed his head. He hated side effects of magic. Then he looked down, eyes widening.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, reaching towards the ground. Mika walked over after her checking her chalice, and looked at Ray curiously.

"What is it?"

Ray held up a ring that looked similar to Mika's, but it had green in the center. "It's a cure ring!" he said.

"Wanna trade?" asked Mika, seemingly uncaring. But honestly? She'd rather be able to heal herself than to freeze stuff.

"Nah, I think I'll keep this in case I fall off another cliff," said Ray, winking. Mika groaned as she remembered Selepation Cave.

"Sometimes I wish you didn't find us again," she said scornfully. Ray's smirk didn't falter.

"Sometimes I wish you fell with me," he retorted.

"Why? Hoping I'd get injured?" shot Mika.

"Nah…I like to have you close by," he responded. Mika scoffed, and kept walking.

Ray watched her go. "She wants me," he said simply, walking off after her.

They kept walking, killing a ghost first using the phoenix down strategy, and then a magic plant. They eventually met another magic plant (which Ray killed, and threw the body at Mika, who was less than amused). They eventually met a ghost up ahead, and Mika stepped forward to confront it. But when she stepped forward, she heard a small splash, and saw the plank she was standing on was starting to sink.

"You might need to lose some weight," teased Ray. Mika was not laughing.

"Now listen you- ah!" Her tirade was interrupted by a cry of pain. Her feet were feeling an acid-like burn from the miasma tainted water. She hastily jumped out of the water, but the ghost heard her cry and attacked. Ray and Mika used their phoenix down strategy (although Mika had already ran out of phoenix downs, and Ray was starting to get low) and then Mika used her dual shooter to killed the phantom.

After that short battle, Mika and Ray continued to move through the marsh, eventually coming across something strange. On a large plank in the middle of the water, there was some kind of shelter, which resembled a tree house.

"What is that?" asked Mika. "I thought that the Selkies couldn't build the road anymore?"

"The Selkies of long ago didn't," commented Ray. He pointed to an engraving on the house. "But the Selkies of the modern age could.

Mika strained her eyes. She could barely make out the letters, but she read them as F.Z. and B.Z.

"So you're parents reached this point, at least," she said.

"Yeah, and so have we," said Ray. "Let's keep going. I wanna get the myrrh and get out of here as soon as possible."

They stepped off the planks onto a large island. They met their first opponents: a magic plant and a behemoth. Ray disposed of the magic plant from afar, but the behemoth saw them. Ray and Mika ran away from it, but the dragon gave chase. And to make matters worse, a stone sahagin and a second behemoth had seen them.

"We're in trouble here," growled Mika.

"Stay calm, Mika," said Ray, wrapping an arm around her reassuringly. "We can handle this."

Their eyes met, and for a minute, neither of them said anything. They just stared at each other.

'Hopefully I won't die here,' thought Ray. 'I 'd like to look at those eyes a couple more times.'

He let out a laugh at the thought, and Mika gave him a weird look. Before he could explain, the stone sahagin, ran up to them. At the same time, the behemoths slammed their tails down, making a ring of fire and a ring of ice.

Ray and Mika killed the stone sahagin quickly by using a gravity spell and pummeling it to death. Ray looked up to see what the behemoths were doing.

Strangely enough, instead of looking at them, the two purple beasts were glaring at each other.

"What the heck?" asked Ray.

"I think they both hit each other with their tail blasts," said Mika. "And I think they're arguing about it."

One of the monsters let out a rumbling growl, while the second monster let out a snarl.

"I wish Mog was here to translate," said Mika.

"He can translate monster talk?" questioned Ray.

"Probably, I mean, he seems to know what they're thinking pretty well."

The first behemoth let out a warning grunt, and lashed its tail, while the second one barked a challenge at it. The first replied with a snort, which seemed to offend the second behemoth, who leaped on the first.

"Whoa!" yelped Ray, grabbing Mika, and dragging her away from the fray. They both fell over, Mika on top of Ray, and they watched the fight from afar. The second behemoth kept clawing the first, but the first behemoth wasn't helpless. The two Selkies watched as the first behemoth grabbed the second's neck with its teeth. The second behemoth roared in pain, but the first dragged it into the water. The second behemoth tried to swim ashore, but the first beat it over the head with its tail, and the knocked creature sank into the dark depths. The first behemoth let out a contemptuous growl, and then turned back to the Selkies, stepping towards them.

Mika hopped off of Ray. "It's weakened. We can kill it."

Ray nodded, and leaped over towards the behemoth, swinging his maul. The behemoth slammed him down to the ground with a large foot. Ray spit out some blood, but hit the behemoth at point blank range with a shot from his weapon. While the monster was distracted, Mika froze its feet to the ground with her blizzard ring.

"Now it can't move!" she shouted to Ray.

"And neither can I!" yelled the male Selkie, still stuck under the monster's frozen foot.

"Whoops…," said Mika, scratching her head sheepishly. Using a Fira spell, she killed the behemoth and unfroze his feet, pulling Ray away before he was crushed by the monster.

"Hey…it dropped something!" said Ray, pointing. Mika walked over and picked up the material.

"It's orichalcum," she confirmed, turning over the gold material in her hand. "Very rare…good for crafting weapons."

"Garrett told me he needed one for that spear design he found," said Ray. "Along with a red eye and a dragon fang. He's got a red eye…but…does a behemoth count as a dragon?"

"Even if they do, they don't ever lose teeth. At least, that's what the legends say. A behemoth never loses or breaks a bone."

"Dang…I wonder where you can get a dragon fang?" asked Ray, walking alongside Mika as they continued to move through Conall Curach.

"I don't know. How about we worry about monsters before looking for materials, though?" asked Mika. Then she stiffened. "Get down!"

Ray gave her a bewildered look, but obliged, and the dark gas floated harmlessly over his head. Three dark flans had appeared before them. And as Ray watched, two behemoths were starting to stalk closer to them, tails lashing.

"We gotta finish these guys quick," he said, pointing to the oncoming behemoths. Mika nodded. They used their phoenix down method and managed to kill two of them, but the third reverted back to normal, being unable to be hit. Ray swore.

"Now what? I've only got about five phoenix downs left, seeing that two of these flans dropped some," demanded Ray. "We don't know if we're going to need them, either!"

But as the flan slithered forward, the behemoths had arrived, and one of them whacked the flan away with its tail.

"Okay, those monsters can hit them, but we can't?" demanded Ray. "What the hell!?"

The behemoth in question responded by swiping Ray with its claws. Ray rolled away, while Mika knocked the monster upside the head. However, it struck her with its horns, and while she was stunned, lifted her up in its teeth. It then tossed her violently to the other behemoth, which caught her in his jaws.

"Ray! HELP!" shouted Mika desperately. Ray groggily shook his head, but came to his senses. Just as the behemoth tossed Mika again, Ray shot a thunder spell at it. Stunned for a moment, Ray hit it in the jaw. The behemoth snarled, and called to its companion for assistance, but the other behemoth was too busy shaking Mika like a rag doll. Ray continued to strike the first behemoth, being too speedy for the monster to retaliate, and eventually, the worn out creature fell over with a last, angry snarl. Ray grinned at a job well done, but stopped gloating when he heard Mika scream. The behemoth tossed her up in the air, and batted at her with a giant purple paw. Ray let out an angry snarl of his own. He rushed over. He pulled jagged scythe (he had swiped one from an abbadon corpse) out of his pack, and cut off the horn of the dead behemoth. He ran over to the living monster, and stabbed it in its exposed stomach with the behemoth horn. The creature was shocked by electricity, and let out a harsh cry. It dropped down to all fours, catching Mika in its mouth. Ray jumped up onto its back, and started whacking it on the head.

"Take this! And that!" shouted Ray, beating the monster over the head. The monster kept slamming its tail on the ground and bucking its hips, but it could not shake the Selkie male off. As it let out a death cry, the behemoth tossed Mika away. She soared over the dreary landscape, and started to fall…over the water. _No_!

"MIKA!" shouted Ray. He kicked himself off of the dying behemoth, and flew through the air towards Mika. He caught her, and they both plunged straight into the water.

Under the dark water, Ray pulled Mika towards him. She looked at him fearfully. Ray made a motion with his hand, and both Selkies swam towards the surface, near the shore.

Mika gasped as she crawled up onto the brown land, shaking the dark water out of her hair. Ray appeared beside her, and flopped onto his back, panting.

"Never…again," growled Mika, getting the water out of her hair.

"Agreed," commented Ray.

After a brief rest, they headed on.

"The myrrh tree is close…I can feel it…it's right up ahead," said Ray.

Mika looked forward. There was a bridge of planks, surrounded by fog. "It must be through that fog."

A stone sahagin started to crawl out of the ground, but Mika walked over and promptly stomped on its head about 15 times. A second sahagin emerged, which Ray knocked into the water.

"Well then…I guess we're here…let's do this," said Ray. Mika nodded, and they both high fived each other.

"Let's go," said Mika and Ray at the same time. They began to walked across the foggy bridge.

* * *

Voila! We are done!

Favorite Parts: The behemoth vs. behemoth fight, and the last behemoth fight before the end of the chapter.

So yeah…if you didn't notice, behemoths are my favorite monsters in the entire game. I love them. They are epic.

Not as much romance in this chapter as I planned, but I suppose it's okay, because Ray and Mika aren't lovey dovey types.

I personally thought the phoenix down + magic strategy was a good idea, as it would work like a Holy Spell, but I would not have to (1. Make them combine a Life spell and another spell (BECAUSE LIFE SPELLS DON'T EXIST IN THIS STORY) and (2. I didn't want Ray or Mika to be able to use a Holy Spell…THAT'S CRESTON'S JOB!

The next chapter may not be up that soon, as I am rather busy these days, but hopefully, it won't be long. Conall Curach is my favorite stage, has my favorite monster, and my favorite boss, and the history of my favorite tribe, and the character chapter of my favorite character. So basically…the Dragon Zombie is going to be AMAZING.

Next Chapter: Ray and Mika face off against the centuries-old Dragon Zombie. They can harm the undead monster using their phoenix down method, but will it be enough to defeat the hellish monster? And what does the Dragon Zombie know about Ray's parents?

Iron Giant: It is my turn to review now, fools. So yes. Review. Do it. You know you want to.


	53. True Immortals

-jaws theme- It's coming…it's getting closer…IT'S HERE! THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Conall Curach's Dragon Zombie vs. Mika and Ray.

Note: I know that in the game you can't hit the Dragon Zombie with physical attacks while he's on that island. I'm changing that, and he's going to use his hands/claws too. Just saying.

Oh I'm going to love writing this chapter. I just know it.

But I'm just going to say, something really bad is going to happen.

Anyways…with that extensive bit of a foreshadowing…WE SHALL START THE CHAPTER.

-smoke bomb flies through the window, and the chapter appears when the smoke clears-

* * *

Ray hopped off the long path of planks and onto a raft. The fog had cleared finally. He turned back.

"Mika, come on, we're just about there!" he called quietly. "Not much farther."

In a few moments, Mika was beside him.

"Wow…so this is the end of the swamp?" she asked.

Ray looked around. They were standing on three large rafts that were floating in the water. There was a very large island up ahead, with many treasure chests on it. Surrounding the water they were floating in was dead land covered in dead trees. The sky was dark and it was raining, but something bright caught Ray's eye. He could see it; the myrrh tree was only a little bit further.

"Well we've found the myrrh tree," he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "That's a relief. But before we go and get it…how about we help ourselves to some of those chests, eh?"

Mika smirked, and nodded. "You read my mind. So long as you stay away from MY chest, take what you want."

"Ha ha," laughed Ray sarcastically, stepping out towards the chests. Then he stopped.

"Something's moving in there," he said. He put out an arm to stop Mika. Mika gave him a strange look, but followed his gaze. She glimpsed something long in the middle of the chests—like a whip, maybe, but shorter.

"Do you think that's the monster that rules this area?" asked Mika.

"I don't know, but I don't want to be off guard if it is," replied Ray, drawing his racket. Mika did the same. Suddenly, there was a low cry, and something jumped out from the ring of treasure chests.

"Mika! Watch…out?" Ray's warning became a bewildered question. A gremlin had hopped out from the chests. It growled and hissed at Ray, and pointed a finger at him.

"What the…not you again!" shouted Ray. It was that same gremlin! It was still after him? Sheesh…the thing needed to get a hobby.

The gremlin responded by making a rude hand gesture. Ray's eyebrows shot up, before he scowled.

"I'll break that finger of yours," he snarled. "This time, I'm gonna make SURE you're dead before I chuck you."

The gremlin posed and was getting into a fighting stance, when a loud roar interrupted the two enemies. Ray looked around wildly. Was that another behemoth?

Mika looked around before she finally looked up into the air. "Ray! Look!" Ray looked up, his eyes widening in horror.

It was a horrible sight. In the sky, far above them, was a dragon. Large and purple, it had a long head, with a mouth full of vicious teeth. Four wings were on its back, allowing it to fly in the air. Powerful arms and legs extended from its massive torso, and long, thin tail was waving back and forth behind it. With a second roar, the monster lunged down onto the raft. The gremlin looked up, pure fear in its eyes.

Boom!

Ray put an arm in front of him, shielding himself from the blast. He saw the treasure chests go flying in all directions as the wind hit him.

Finally, it was over. Ray looked around. Mika was next to him, staring at the terrible enemy in front of them. Ray continued to search his surroundings. Where was that gremlin? He didn't want to deal with it AND slay a dragon at the same time! His question was answered as he looked at the water. There, lying on its back at the edge of the bank, was the gremlin, its eyes wide and its body unmoving. Then slowly, the body slid into the water, where it sank, never to be seen again.

Ray heard a low, sadistic chuckle in front of him. He turned to see the dragon laughing. And now that he got a closer look at it…Ray groaned. It was dead. The dragon was an undead creature, like the ghosts, dark flans, and wraiths that they had faced before.

"So…," began the dragon, its voice low and hellish, and very menacing. Mika gulped. They weren't just dealing with a dragon. They were dealing with a smart, ghost dragon that was capable of speech!

"More Selkies?" asked the mythical beast. "It seems that they are attracted to this place. Ever since the days of old…they always came here…searching for a new home."

"Who are you?" asked Mika, uncertainly.

"I am the Dragon Zombie. Those who live alone do not require others to give them a specific name," answered the Dragon Zombie. "Now…who are you?"

"Caravanners," responded Ray, deciding that it would be best just to be honest.

"Hmmph…I figured as much…the only people I've seen come here in centuries are either caravanners…or explorers…"

"Explorers?" asked Mika.

"Yes," said the Dragon Zombie. "I've heard news of a stranger with a bandanna running around…I thought you were he, but I have heard reports that he has been killed…and it's obvious that I'm the only living dead here."

He let out a cold, mirthless laugh. Mika felt as if her hair would stand up.

"And there were others before that…a girl with a bandanna, led to death by my minion, the Sahagin Lord…another caravan, but with only two Selkies, who left…and before that, two Selkies who seemed not be caravanners. I take it they were like the one with the bandanna: searching for answers in this dreaded swamp. And many years ago, two men…one was a knight in black armor, the other a strange man in light yellow clothes," said the Dragon Zombie with nostalgia. "Ah, the old days."

"A knight in black armor…Ray do you think that's the Black Knight?" asked Mika, but Ray was listening.

"How do you remember all of that?" he asked.

"I've lived for centuries. It is not hard for someone so ancient to remember events from merely a decade or two ago.

Ray closed his eyes. "Those two explorers…do you know what happened to them?"

"That depends," responded the enormous dragon. "Which two? The knight and preacher? Or the two Selkies, searching for their memory?"

"The two Selkies," answered Ray. And now Mika understood.

"They tried to take the myrrh tree. They failed. I tried to take their lives. I succeeded," answered the Dragon Zombie indifferently.

Ray clenched fist, but remained calm. "Why? Why did you kill them?"

The Dragon Zombie looked at him with a dark eye. "They were your parents." It wasn't a question.

"How did you…," began Ray, stunned.

"I didn't. But you've just told me. And so I'm guessing you are here to avenge them," hissed the dragon in reply. "As for my reasons for killing them…it is my sworn duty to take vengeance against all of the tribes…especially the Selkies." He spat out the last word like a curse.

"But…what did we do to you?" asked Mika. "The Selkies of long ago just tried to find a new haven-"

"Oh, is that what those rocks say?" asked the Dragon Zombie. "I never knew. I believe they failed to mention how they slaughter half of the monsters in the area. How do you think all of these undead beings came about?"

"Well…what about you?" asked Mika. "A powerful dragon such as yourself wouldn't be killed by them in a fair fight-"

"Selkies don't play fair," retorted the monster. He let out a snort of contempt. "The way I was killed? They snuck up on me while I was sleeping, and they mortally wounded me. A fine way for the first of all miasma born monsters to die!"

"Y-you were the first monster to spawn from miasma?" asked Mika, tension giving away to shock.

"No, I was the first flying goblin," snarled the dragon sarcastically. "Yes. I was indeed the first monster to be born after the meteor struck."

"Everyone always talks about a meteor hitting before the miasma came," said Ray. "What happened?"

"Raem told me," said the Dragon Zombie. "Once the meteor hit, a parasite was born and started to create miasma. Raem became immediately spawned, as well as his counterpart."

"Who is Raem? And who is the counterpart you're talking about?" questioned Mika.

"He is the lord of all monsters. It is he who allows us to communicate with each other. Which is how other monsters know of the defeat of the Goblin King, the Orc King, and the more recent Lizardman King."

"And the Iron Giant," said Mika, almost defiantly. "Our friends took care of him."

"An admirable achievement, although the Iron Giant was neither a threat, nor needed," said the Dragon Zombie. "Why Raem kept him around, I will never know."

"Some monsters say that they needed myrrh trees, but others say that they haven't," said Mika. "What do they mean? And what's the answer?"

"We do not require the myrrh trees. We are just required to prevent the likes of you from acquiring myrrh."

"Why is that?" demanded Mika, annoyed and angry.

"Raem has his reasons, and we must serve him. Although some of us have our own personal reasons for defending the trees," answered the undead with a ghastly smile.

"Armstrong guarded his tree as a testament to the fallen Tida villagers. The golem of Veo Lu Sluice is not a monster, but was programmed to guard the tree from monsters. They needn't have bothered creating it, as we monsters want nothing with the tree. The Iron Giant used it as a prize for besting him in battle, as the giant always craved fights. The giant crabs of the old River Belle Path see the tree as part of their territory, and defend it from those who try to invade it."

"And you?" asked Ray. "Why do you guard the tree?"

"As revenge," stated the being simply. "I was killed unfairly by the people of old. Now I shall prevent their living descendants from reaching what they desperately desire. I usually don't kill either- but I suppose in this case, I'll make an exception. After all, I don't want you telling everyone what I've just told you."

"Why tell us, then?" accused Mika.

"Everyone should have their answers before they die," said the Dragon Zombie.

"We're not going to die," growled Ray, getting in a battle stance.

"Ah…but neither will I…you cannot kill what is already dead, Selkie boy…," said the Dragon Zombie. "So if we're fighting to the death, one of us has to die. And it won't be me. Because I…am a true immortal."

The Dragon Zombie let out a ferocious roar.

"Prepare yourselves!" he snarled, dark energy radiating from his body. "Because now, like I did long ago…you will DIE!"

The monster flapped his wings, and a large white gust flew towards the two caravanners. Both of them moved out of the way. Ray watched the blast hit a group of trees. They were cut up in a matter of seconds.

"Holy shit!" swore Ray, eyes wide. "That's some blast."

With a second roar, the Dragon Zombie breathed a large beam toward the caravanners. Mika avoided the attack, but Ray was hit dead on. Mika watched his body begin to become stone. At the same time, the Dragon Zombie barked out a single command in monster language, and a stone sahagin burst from the ground.

"Ray!" she called.

"What's happening to me!?" he asked, staring wildly down at his body slowly becoming stone.

"It's okay, barely anything can hurt you when you're petrified. You're way safer than me right now!" answered Mika.

"Not quite," interjected the zombie smoothly, as the stone sahagin ran over to Ray, and began to push his still body over to the water.

Mika cursed loudly. The sahagin was going to push his rock body into the water and make Ray sink! She tried to run over, but another wide white blast flew in front of her. The Dragon Zombie leered at her menacingly.

"Ah ah ah," he crooned. "You can't save him right now. You have your own problems to deal with."

Mika stared at him, panic battling with hate. This thing wasn't smart—it was a genius of a monster.

The stone sahagin had reached the edge of the raft, but with shattering sound, Ray's arm emerged from its stony imprisonment, and punched the sahagin in the jaw. With a shrill cry, it leaped backwards…into the very water that it had been trying to push Ray into. Another loud cracking noise, and Ray emerged from his petrified state.

"That was fun," he joked, moving out of the way as a second red beam flew towards him.

"No time for joking!" shouted Mika, annoyed. The Dragon Zombie started to take a deep breath.

"What the-," she began.

"Get down, idiot!" yelled Ray, throwing himself down on top of her. The Dragon Zombie let out an enormous breath of poison, which floated over the two Selkies. Ray got up, but that was a mistake. The Dragon Zombie flapped his wings, and the same white blast hit him. Ray let out a painful yell as he felt his body get cut all over…he felt as if he was being jerked apart…limb from limb…he flew backwards, falling dangerously close to the edge of the raft.

"Are you alright?" asked Mika. But Ray was on his feet almost immediately, using his new Cure Ring to its fullest extent.

"Yeah…so…do you think it's time for us to stop defending, and start offending?" asked Ray, with a devilish gleam in his eyes.

"Oh yeah," concurred Mika, giving him the same look.

"Great! Now duck!" yelled Ray. They both ducked to avoid another stream of poison.

"Let's go!" yelled Ray, tossing a phoenix down at the Dragon Zombie. He looked at the red plumage, confused.

"What in the world are they doing?" he asked himself. But as he watched, Mika aimed a blizzard blast at him.

"Foolish mortals," he chided mockingly. "You seem to forget that I am a specter…a phantom…a spirit…that petty magic won't be able to hurt me."

"We weren't aiming for you!" shouted Mika triumphantly. At that moment, the blizzard spell hit the phoenix down.

"What the- GRAAAAAAAH!" The Dragon Zombie's retort turned into a cry of surprise and rage. There was big flash.

When the bright light faded, Ray looked at their opponent. The plan had worked—the dragon was now mortal- or at least able to be physically harmed. Yellow-brown bones gleamed on its body, as it let out a terrifying roar.

"Dratted pests!" he snarled. "Don't think it's that easy!"

As Mika ran forward, aiming a shot with her racket, the Dragon Zombie lunged forward, knocking her backwards into Ray. Ray hit the beast in the head, while Mika snuck up to its side. However, the Dragon Zombie knocked Mika aside with an irritable shake of the head.

"What the hell!?" asked Ray. "How can shaking his ugly mug be an attack?"

"Anything can hurt a Selkie- they have no tolerance for pain," responded the monster. Ray felt his blood boil at the barbed jibe. He twirled his racket and aimed two shots at the monster, as well as Mika. The Dragon simply took the blows, glowering at them.

"Why doesn't he shoot his poison at us?" asked Mika. "Or use that big gust?"

"As you wish!" shouted the ghostly being, sweeping them with a large blast of poison. Mika and Ray were both hit dead on.

"Gah…I can't breathe…," choked Mika. Ray looked over at her, tears streaming down his face from the acid-like quality of the air.

"Gimme a minute," he managed to get out, while curing himself. He then used a clear spell on Mika and himself. Ray turned to face his opponent once more.

'_He's limited to that space on the island for some reason…he's probably not fast enough to try and move around to attack us…,_' thought Ray. '_So…hit him quickly, before he can react!_'

Ray twirled his racket, flashing a signal to Mika, who gripped her Dual Shooter. They both took aim, and fired their shots.

To their enormous surprise, only one shot made contact. The Dragon Zombie had become ghostly once more, and the other two projectiles soared through him harmlessly.

The Dragon Zombie let out a chilling laugh, his tongue licking his jaws. "No one ever said it would be that easy."

"Damn…if we don't finish him off quick…I'll run out of phoenix downs," said Ray to Mika.

"And then we'll never defeat him," realized Mika, clenching a fist.

"We need to finish this as quickly as possible," declared Ray.

"So less talk, more slaughter, stupid!" replied Mika, giving him a hot glare. Then her eyes looked fearful.

"Ray you idiot, pay attention!" she shouted, pushing him out of the way of an oncoming twister. Mika was hit, and felt the same jerking sensation that Ray had felt before. She went flying into the air from the blast, and as she came to her senses, she looked down. The Dragon Zombie had taken aim, and was sending a petrifying beam straight towards her. Mika wasn't worried. She braced herself to take the hit, as being petrified meant that nothing could harm you, for the most part. She felt the blast hit her, and her body started to become rock.

Down below, Ray looked at the Dragon Zombie. "That's stupid of you," taunted Ray. "Why turn her to stone? Nothing can hurt her, and she'll be fine."

"On the contrary," growled the enormous creature. "It's not a matter of how she gets hurt, but where she falls. From a height that high, she'll hit the ground, and maybe shatter. When she unfreezes, she'll die. Or she could land in the water, and sink like a rock!"

Ray gave him a look of sheer horror. "Oh no," he croaked, his voice hoarse.

"You're an idiot," said the undead. "You don't think before you act. And you are unprepared to deal with enemies that do."

Ray gave him a smoldering look.

"Even now…I'm distracting you from saving your falling friend," continued the Dragon Zombie with a sneer.

Ray whirled around. He saw Mika's stony body hurtling towards the ground. She wasn't going to land in the water, but…images of Mika's body broken on the raft flooded his thoughts.

He ran over, and held out his arms, ready to catch her.

"There's no way you'll be able to pull it off," snarled his enemy.

"Why not?" asked Ray.

"Because in case you've forgotten, I'm still here!" shouted the Dragon Zombie, sending a large gust towards him. Ray watched, almost as petrified as Mika.

He caught her just in time. He set her down and took the large, white gale. He flew backwards into the water. Mika finally unfroze, and dove into the water, dragging him out, while avoiding another blast of poison from the Dragon Zombie.

"Let's do this," she said, intensity sharpening her tone. Ray nodded. It was time to go all out.

It was a magnificent battle. Ray and Mika continued to use their phoenix downs and magic to make the monster vulnerable. They would then hit him with barrages of shots and magic alike, while Ray would play medic and heal himself and Mika when they were injured. It was tough, but they weren't doing bad…not bad at all.

But the Dragon Zombie was not to be defeated any time soon. Each time they turned him solid, he would inflict heavy damage on them. He was even stronger when he was in his ghostly form, hitting the two Selkies with blast after blast after blast of attacks. He poisoned them on many occasions, and petrified Ray and Mika once more each. All in all, he was a truly monstrous opponent.

The Dragon Zombie felt himself wearing down. This had never happened before. He was undead- therefore, he couldn't DIE…that meant he was immortal…so why did he have a slight fear of being defeated? No…it was nothing…just a mere suspicion…nothing more…he could not be killed…you cannot kill the dead again.

After he knocked Ray back with a swing of his horned head, he examined them, panting.

"Why…why do continue to fight?" asked the Dragon Zombie. "Against impossible odds?"

"Because there are people who need us," said Mika. "We need to help them."

"You might, maybe," said the Dragon Zombie. His dark gaze moved on to Ray. "But what about you?"

"What about me?" asked Ray.

"Why do you continue to fight?" asked the ghostly monster. "There is nothing left for you in the world. Your family is dead. What do you have left to be loyal to?"

"The village that raised me," responded Ray immediately. "My friends. And-"

Mika swore for a moment that his eyes flashed towards her, but it had happened so fast, she wasn't sure it had even happened at all.

"Look…it's not about doing it for yourself…I'm doing it for everyone…especially in honor of my parents and sister's memory," finished Ray.

The Dragon Zombie stared at him. Then it threw back its large head and roared with laughter.

Ray and Mika exchanged shocked glances, as the laughter continued. Eventually, the loud shouts subsided into a low chuckle.

"That's rich…but why would they want you to do it?" asked the beast.

"Because that's the kind of people they were," answered Ray without hesitation.

"You misunderstand me," said the Dragon Zombie. "Once they are dead, do you know where they go? They go nowhere. They do not go to a heavenly paradise. They do not "watch over you". They simply vanish from existence. That is true death."

Ray simply looked the monster in the eye.

"Memories won't save them. Love and care don't bring people back to life. Love is just a simple feeling that helps someone feel less guilty when someone dies."

"People who love are weak. And the weak die. But those who are strong…they will survive…for all of eternity…those who are strong are the true immortals."

"Do you truly believe that?" asked Ray. "Or is this some mental trick you're trying to play?"

"It doesn't matter what I'm saying," countered the monster. "I'm not stating opinion; I'm stating fact."

"Well, I can just disprove this little messed up theory of yours," said Ray. Mika watched, remaining silent. For some reason, it seemed like this was a private battle of wills between Ray and the Dragon Zombie…no…a battle of Ray and facing his inner demons.

"You say that the strong live on…because they are 'true immortals'," said Ray. "But you just proved your own theory false."

"How so?"

"Because you're not strong at all, and you lived on," explained Ray. "You were killed in your sleep by a ragtag band of Selkies."

The dragon's nostrils flared. "I was only killed because life is so fleeting…so easily to be taken away unfairly!" he snapped.

"Someone who was strong wouldn't die in their sleep," retorted Ray.

"It's extremely easy to die," snarled the Dragon Zombie. "Life can be there for one moment, and gone the next!"

"Prove it!" shouted Ray, his eyes burning.

"FINE!" roared the Dragon Zombie. Quickly, he flapped his wings, sending a large blast towards Mika. Mika had been too distracted by the argument between the two monsters, and was hit. She let out a scream and went flying backwards, sliding on the raft.

"No! Mika!" exclaimed Ray, panicking.

"You see my point?" asked the monster. "Eventually she will die. And she will never return because she is weak."

Ray shut his eyes fast. She wasn't dead, she couldn't be.

"She's ten times stronger than you are," growled Ray.

"Her bleeding corpse says otherwise," shot back the Dragon Zombie silkily. That was enough for Ray. He ran over towards Mika's body, dodging a petrifying beam. He bent over her, feeling her neck and heart. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse.

His joy was short-lived, as he was hit by the Dragon Zombie's poison breath. Ray retaliated with a phoenix down and magic combo. Once the dragon became solid, Ray landed blow after devastating blow against the creature. He even jumped onto the monster's massive neck, and tried to strangle it- but to no avail. The monster shook him off.

"And now you continue to fight for her," said the Dragon Zombie. "She'll die if you lose. And you cannot win. Why not retreat?"

"Because you won't let me take her with me," snarled Ray.

"It's your own decision- abandon your friend, and save yourself, or you'll both die," said the Dragon Zombie in an almost bored tone.

"You could never expect me to do that," said Ray. "But make no mistake- I WILL kill you."

"Have you forgotten what I said before?" asked the dragon. "I am a true immortal. I am free from a life span. I am eternal, ageless, undying. I have conquered death itself!"

Ray looked at him, and laughed. He laughed loudly. The Dragon Zombie seemed generally astonished.

"What's so amusing?" asked the ghost.

"You're so stupid…you think you've conquered death?" asked Ray. "Death conquered you. You were killed, and now in the afterlife, you're simply used to guard a tree. You're a puppet, a shadow of your former self. You can't die, but I can guarantee you, you're like any other undead- you can be banished to the pits of hell."

"And you just don't get people," continued Ray. The Dragon Zombie leered at him, panting. "You think that after death, everyone who is weak is gone forever. But they're not. People never truly die."

"You're trying to lecture ME about death when I've been dead for hundreds of years?" asked the Dragon Zombie incredulously. "People don't die? Don't make me laugh. I've killed people in front of me. That is death."

"No…you're wrong," said Ray. "People only truly die when those who cared about them forget them. So long as the people you care about remain in your memories…your thoughts…your heart…then they will never die."

As Ray spoke, he felt something beside him, and a warm hand on his shoulder. He glanced back, but nothing was there. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he heard his sister's warm chuckle in the wind, and a pair of laughs along with it.

"The ones who are never forgotten…the ones in our hearts…the ones who are loved for eternity…they are the true immortals," said Ray, determination shining in his blue eyes. "Not you."

The Dragon Zombie was speechless. And yet for some reason…he felt rage burning up inside of him. This brat…a descendant of those who killed him before…the person who was as different from the Dragon Zombie as much as possible…this Selkie. He didn't show any fear of the undead dragon, and simply told him he was wrong and insulted him.

The Dragon Zombie met eyes with him, and for a fraction of a second, he thought he saw himself dying in there.

'_No way…_,' he thought. '_I can't lose…NOT TO HIM_!'

With a great roar, he turned to face the fallen Mika spreading his wings and shooting the biggest white blast yet at her.

'_What the…he's attacking Mika_?' thought Ray. '_No_!'

He ran over as fast as he could. He had saved her just in time plenty of times before- Mushroom Forest, Selepation Cave, Daemon's Court…damnit.

"God, give me luck!" he whispered, making a tremendous leap, at the same time aiming with his racket. The large cyclone headed straight for Mika. The Dragon Zombie was grinning in victory.

**BOOM!**

The noise was tremendous, and so was the impact of the attack. Winds blew everywhere, and trees were torn from their roots, uprooted by the twister. The water rolled onto the raft and land in large waves. There was big white flash…

When the light had finally died, Mika opened her eyes, wincing in pain. She stared straight forward.

She was just in time to witness the Dragon Zombie letting out his most furious and rage-filled roar. With this final death cry, he fell over onto his side. His purple body eventually faded, and a white spirit floated towards the gray sky.

Mika struggled up, not feeling tired any longer. While she had been out cold, Ray had defeated the Dragon Zombie!

"Ray you did it!" she shouted. "Come on get over here!"

No one came over to her. Mika looked around.

"Ray?" she asked, staring around. Eventually, her eyes focused on a body lying far away from her on the raft.

Running over, she knelt down besides her fellow Selkie. She gasped as she looked down at him.

Ray was covered in blood, cuts and gashed all across his body. His hair had been cut somewhat, so it was uneven in some places. His eyes were closed, but they opened as Mika leaned down. Mika felt her heart clench: Ray had a large slash across his left eye, and it was sure to leave a scar. Even now, the blue iris was starting to fade to white.

"Mika," he rasped, looking up at her, a smile coming to his face. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Ray…," she began, but he waved a hand, signaling her to be quiet.

"I just managed to save you," he continued, coughing slightly, blood trickling out of his mouth. "I managed to hit that bastard with a phoenix down and some magic. I pushed you out of the way when the blast hit…but I guess I didn't get as lucky, eh?"

"Ah well…I suppose I'm just happy to know you're not dead. I guess that means I didn't almost die for nothing. How do I look?" he asked.

"Fine…you're going to be fine…," stated Mika briskly, but Ray already knew.

"It's my eye, isn't it?" he asked, looking at her with both eyes. "I can barely see anything…I'm never going to see out of that eye again, am I?"

Starting to feel her eyes water, Mika gave him a strained nod. Ray let out a sigh.

"Well…I guess it's gonna get a lot harder to aim now," he commented lightly. That comment sent Mika over the edge.

"You're so stupid, stupid, stupid!" she yelled, punching the ground. Ray looked over at her, not showing any surprise or shock.

"Mika-"

"Why?!" she shouted, looking down at him, crying. "Why did you do it!? Why did you take the hit for me!?"

Ray simply looked up at her. He reached up with his bloodstained hand, and stroked her hair.

"Well…not to sound corny, or anything…but I guess people do some really crazy things for the ones they care about."

Mika froze at Ray's words. For a moment she thought he had meant his family, but something told her he had meant her. Ray looked up at her and gave her a smile. Not his usual smirk- a truly genuine smile.

"I'm going to recover- you can stop crying about my injuries," he assured, but Mika continued sobbing. Then she pulled him to hug, still crying. Ray simply sat there, patting her on the back.

"It's over, Mika," he said soothingly. "The nightmare is over."

* * *

THE END! MUAHAHAHA!

Favorite Parts: This is my favorite chapter yet, and also the longest chapter yet, and I like every part. Ray's speech about love and family, and his moment with Mika at the end were my personal favorites, though.

OKAY FIRST OF ALL, THEY ARE NOT TOGETHER YET! THIS WILL BE EXPLAINED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, WHEN THEY ACTUALLY GET TOGETHER!

Now for the Dragon Zombie: I see him as someone who is right on the borderline of confidence and cockiness- he is smart, wise, and ageless, and thinks that everyone is worth less than himself. And he's pretty fucking strong, too.

All in all, this was my all time favorite chapter to write. So much power and emotion into it.

Next Chapter: Mika and Ray reunite with the other's, but Mika is feeling awkward and worried. Ray is bedridden with his terrible injuries. And was his confession about his care for her true, or was it just caused by his injuries? Find out next chapter!

Giant Crab: -lets out a large screech-

Marlboro: -growls-

Armstrong: What they are trying to say…is review…or they'll eat you.


	54. Passion

Annnnnnnnnnd we're back to Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles

In this chapter, it's basically the aftermath of Conall Curach…and the getting together of a longtime romantically interested couple.

And Garrett is stupid in this chapter.

Dragon Zombie: And now that I've been taken from the story, I am forced to spend my eternal damnation in the author's realm.

Me: Whatever. So yes…get readin', people!

* * *

Mika winced at the feeling of her bandages being peeled. "Not so fast, okay?"

Creston chuckled, examining the cuts. They were healing fine. "The pain can't be helped, I'm afraid. You two have really been through the ringer."

Mika rolled her eyes, and held back a sarcastic retort. They had reunited with their fellow caravanners two days ago. The Marr's Pass caravan offered to take the Fum chalice back to its people, but the Tipa caravan had agreed to keep it and return it (it was their fault it was stolen anyway). The caravanners were staying at the Jegon River for the night, as opposed to the Fields of Fum. They didn't want to scare anyone, seeing that Ray and Mika were grievously injured…there was no need to go and attract attention by showing up with wounded caravanners in a peaceful village. Mika's injuries had been treated, and she was still being checked up on daily. Ray, meanwhile, was bedridden- his injuries had been far more severe, and despite his frequent attempts to walk outside and chat with them, one of the members of the group would always appear and make the Selkie go back inside.

"How is she doing?" asked Star, walking over with Sam and Lianora at her side.

"She's healing up nicely. She'll be better in no time, if she takes it easy," observed Creston.

"What about Ray?" asked Sam. Creston remained silent for a while, still checking Mika's injuries as if he hadn't heard the question. But everyone knew he had.

Creston got to his feet with a sigh. "I can treat his cuts and other minor injuries, but he's got some really bad one…he has a large wound across his chest, and another along his left arm…and I won't be able to save his eye either."

Star looked at him in dismay. "There's nothing you can do?"

"The eye is dead. No magic can return the dead back to life. Holy can only make transparent objects able to be hit by physical attacks, but it won't work on Ray's eye. I'm sorry," apologized Creston tiredly.

Lianora patted him on the shoulder. "You did your best. That's what counts."

Mika nodded. "Thanks Creston. Are you done with me?"

"You're free to do what you like, within reason," said Creston.

"I'm going to go check on Ray," said the female Selkie, getting to her feet and limping towards the carriage. Nieta walked over and her eyes followed Mika's retreating figure.

"Off to see Ray again?" she asked. "I still can't believe they didn't hook up, after what they went through."

"Mika does seem to be acting awkward around him," pointed out Lianora. "Perhaps they just don't like each other in that way."

"Mika actually told me that Ray said something to her, but she doesn't know whether or not he was lightheaded and disoriented due to fatigue," revealed Creston nonchalantly.

"How did you get Mika to tell you that?" asked Garrett incredulously, clutching some ingredients in his hand. A dragon fang had fallen out of the Dragon Zombie's mouth, and Mika had taken it, along with the orichalcum and myrrh, to give to Garrett. Garrett was now guarding the materials that would make his new legendary weapon. Ray had also found a weapon scroll while they were staggering back the way they had came through Conall Curach. His weapon had required a Wind Crystal, orichalcum, and a Desert Fang. Luckily for him, Mika had snagged a shiny crystal she had found from the Cave Worm, so all Ray needed to construct his "Lunar Weapon" was a Desert Fang- and she knew just where to find those.

"She wanted to know if there was a mental injury that caused people to say ridiculous things."

"Is there?" asked Sam curiously.

"I told her that he didn't suffer a severe blow to the head," answered Creston, and Sam imagined the ghost of a smile on the Yuke's face behind the helm.

* * *

The light in the carriage was dim, lit by a single candle. Ray's eyes were open, and they were- well, ONE was staring at the ceiling. He heard a swishing sound, and looked over in the direction of the exit of the carriage. Mika was walking in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Better then I was," answered the bedridden Selkie. "Although that isn't saying much. I'm still feeling pretty lousy," he admitted.

Mika felt another pang of sorrow, as if she could have prevented this. "How's your eye?"

"I can't see out of it at all," said Ray quietly. "It's all black. Although I'm happy that I only lost my vision, not my eye. Even though my eye is white and scarred, it's a damn sight nicer than an eye patch.

Mika smiled weakly, and let out a little laugh. But still…it hurt her to see him like this. He was scarred forever, blind in one eye, and injured horribly…why did he have to go and risk his life?

_He did it for you._

Mika ignored that voice in her head. She rested hand on Ray's shoulder, sitting down on the stool beside him.

"Ray…I'm sorry."

"For what? Kicking me in the crotch all of the time? Trust me, I deserve it."

"No," said Mika, shaking her head. "I'm just…it's my fault that you're all banged up like this…you shouldn't have risked your life for me."

"Nah…if I hadn't, you would've died…I'm a lot stronger than you," said Ray, winking.

Mika smiled a little more. "Ass," she said. "If there's anything I can do for you, just tell me."

"Can you get me another pillow?" asked Ray, pointing in the direction of the sleeping bags. Mika nodded, and walked over, grabbing the pillow. She walked over.

"Lift your head up," she commanded, and Ray obliged. As she placed the pillow down on the cot, she and Ray met eyes. Their faces were incredibly close…Mika felt as if she was blushing. Perfect.

Ray looked away suddenly, and Mika coughed, getting to her feet and standing very stiffly.

"Uh…thanks…," mumbled Ray, still not meeting her eyes.

"No problem," replied Mika, beginning to turn away.

And then it happened. Mika turned around, and she and Ray lunged at each other at the same time. Ray pulled her on top of him and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Mika kissed him back hungrily, pulling his head closer to her as their tongues lashed together, while Ray wrapped his arms around, keeping her as close as possible.

Creston stepped into the caravan. "Ray, I'm here to check your-"

But his voice stopped abruptly, as did his movement. He simply stood shocked at the scene he was witnessing, as the Selkies continued their frenzied kiss, not noticing the Yuke's intrusion. Garrett and the others walked in, wondering why Creston had just stopped at the doorway.

"Creston, what's going on- WHOA!" Garrett shouted, eyes widening as he gaped at the sight before him.

His shout managed to snap the two Selkies out of their passionate act, as their heads both turned sharply to see the rest of the caravanners staring at them, astonished.

"Well…uh," began Creston, breaking the awkward silence. "Perhaps, I should just return at a different time?"

"So what, are you two together now?" asked Garrett. "Sheesh Ray, it took you long enough…you're lucky to have her."

Ray just grinned, and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Oh this is wonderful!" gushed Star, clapping her hands together.

"I can't believe he finally mustered up the courage to ask her," teased Nieta.

"Nah, there's no way Mika would stoop to Ray's level without a good reason," said Garrett. "How much did you pay her, Ray?"

The joke had been directed at Ray, but for some strange reason, Mika stiffened. At the same time, a hand reached out and smacked Garrett across the face.

Silence had fallen once again. Lia stood with her arm outstretched, shocked at her own nerve and daring. Garrett stared up at her, eyes wide, feeling the mark on his cheek.

Mika gave Ray a desperate look, willing for him to say something. But he seemed stunned. Mika got up silently, and pushed her way out of the wagon.

After she had left, Garrett glared up at Lianora. "What was that for!?" he asked angrily.

"You idiot!" shrieked Lia. "You went too far! Do you have any idea what you just said!?"

"What?" asked Garrett, seeming to be generally puzzled. "All I said was that Ray would have to pay someone to go out with him."

"Well…the way you worded it made it seem as though you were insulting Mika," stated Creston, thinking to himself. "It could've been taken both ways. You're comment could've also meant that Mika would do things for Ray if he paid her."

Garrett gave him a perplexed look. "Do things-?"

"He means that you basically called her a prostitute," said Lianora hotly. Garrett looked at her blankly.

"What's a prosecute?" he asked. Star grabbed Garrett, and whispered into his ear. His indignant and confused look became one of horror and regret.

"That wasn't what I meant," babbled the Lilty, panicking. "You guys know I would never say anything like that after what happened last time! Right!?"

"Well…we know, but Mika clearly doesn't. You obviously touched a nerve," pointed out Sam.

Star sighed. "Mika has told me that sometimes she thinks boys only like her for her looks…and only seek certain things of her…she mentioned this to me after that incident in Marr's Pass."

"What am I gonna do?" asked Garrett in dismay. Nieta patted his shoulder sympathetically, and Sam gave the Lilty a pitying look. The damage had been great, but Garrett hadn't meant it the way it sounded.

Garrett suddenly fell over backwards, getting hit by something small and hard in the head. It hadn't really hurt him, but it had stunned him for a moment. Creston and Lianora turned to face the direction where the blast had come from. Ray was aiming his racket at the Lilty, a dark scowl on his face. Lia thought it was scary. She had seen Ray sad, annoyed, and even a bit angry, but never this enraged.

"You little shit!" shouted the Selkie, firing more shots from his racket. Garrett ducked just in time, his hair rustling as the shot flew over it.

"Ray calm down!" shouted Creston blocking Ray from harming the Lilty. Ray, despite being injured, shoved Creston out of the way.

"Kupo, no!" shouted Mog, but Ray knocked him aside with a gentle push. He managed to push his way through the rest of the caravanners, and stood over Garrett with his racket raised.

Garrett looked up at him. "I'm sorry," he said simply. Ray let his hand drop, and he threw his club aside, without even hitting Garrett. Ray looked down at him, understanding in both of his eyes, but didn't say a word. He ran off in the direction Mika had moved.

"I hope they'll be alright," whispered Lia.

Creston put a reassuring arm around her. "Ray isn't stupid. He'll be fine."

Lianora didn't bother to point out that Creston hadn't mentioned Mika.

* * *

Ray strolled down the bank of the Jegon River, looking for a sign of Mika along the riverside. He was about to give up hope, when a voice called to him from the water.

"I'm in here, stupid."

Ray turned. Mika was bathing in the water, her back turned to him.

"I've still got some clothes on, so don't get your hopes up," she warned.

"I'm not interested in whether you're dressed or not," assured Ray. Mika let out a snort.

"Look, Mika," he said, taking a few steps closer, his feet in the water now. "Garrett didn't mean what you think he meant…he was basically saying how I couldn't get a girl unless I paid her to date me."

"I'm not mad at Garrett," said Mika icily.

"Then why did you storm off in a huff?" demanded Ray, moving slightly closer.

"It was you damnit!" yelled Mika, turning to face him, glowering at him.

"What did I do?" asked Ray, shocked at this revelation. He sat down, sensing that he'd be here for a while, and the water started seeping into his clothes.

"You just let him call me a whore, and you didn't even say anything about it!" shouted Mika. "You just let him get away with it. You didn't even try to defend me! Is that all I am to you, Ray Zul?!"

"Mika, will you just listen-"

"Oh, so you want to talk now, but you didn't want to talk then!" snarled Mika, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"Mika, shut up and listen!" shouted Ray. Mika quieted down and waited.

"Come over here," said Ray, beckoning with a hand. Mika hesitated, and then swam over next to him. She WAS still in her clothes- she hadn't even taken anything off. She had just dove into the water.

"First of all, if you go back to the camp now, you'll see that Garrett has a large bump on his head from when I nailed him afterwards," began Ray. "So, I did get back at him for what he said."

"So if you could stand up for me while I'm away, why can't you stand up for me when I'm there?" asked Mika accusingly.

"It wasn't the fact that you were there, it was that I was shocked," said Ray. "I had been thinking about what Garrett had said."

"Why?"

"Because he said something that was true."

Mika felt an icy feeling. "Ray, if you're agreeing with him-"

"No, not what he said right before you left…before that," explained Ray hastily.

"What do you mean?" Mika asked.

Ray let out a sigh. "Mika…I really was lucky to have a girl like you."

Mika racked her brain, and remembered Garrett's words. _"You're lucky to have her."_

"For starters, you're beautiful, but that's your least important feature," continued Ray, looking up at the dark starry sky. "You're kind, you're funny, and you're smart. You're independent, and the strongest girl I know. You're not some tender daffodil like Star, and you're not naïve like little Nieta. You're tough as nails, and you're the one in the caravan with the most spirit."

Mika stared back at him, silent.

"Well…I guess that's all I wanted to say," said Ray, looking back at her. "Now, can we not let this whole situation prevent us from being just friends?"

Just friends? After a speech like that? Oh, hell no. He wasn't getting off the hook THAT easily.

"Ray…," said Mika softly.

"Hmmm?" asked Ray, looking back at her.

She turned to look at him, grinning, pulled him close, and kissed him passionately. "You're an idiot!"

She wrapped her arms around him, and a make-out session began, one that would rival Sam and Star.

* * *

When the two Selkies returned, everyone could instantly tell that things were better. Mika was smiling a radiant smile, and she was holding Ray's hand. Ray's blue eye glowed, and even his blind, white eye seemed to have a little brightness in it. As soon as they got close to the campfire, Garrett ran up to Mika.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted. "I didn't mean to say what I said! I was insulting Ray!"

He was silenced as he felt a reassuring hand on his head. Mika smiled down at him. Garrett hesitantly returned the smile.

WHAM!

"Gah!" groaned Garrett, gripping in between his leg as he fell to the ground. Lianora winced, and Star put her hands over her mouth. Sam flinched, and tried to say something, but Creston merely chuckled and told the Clavat leader not to interfere, and to let things take their own course. Ray and Mika both looked down at the Lilty in pain. Ray glanced at his new lover.

"I love you," he said. "Even if you are a bitch."

"Ha," she laughed, sticking her tongue out at him. "I love you too, asshole."

* * *

EL FIN! And so we finish this romantic chapter!

Favorite Parts: Ray and Mika's first kiss, Lia smacking Garrett, Ray's talk with Mika in the water.

Okay, so NOW Ray and Mika are together. And I know that what Star said about Mika was never mentioned in the fic, but it goes with Mika's character chapter, so I shall not reveal it.

For Garrett's insult, Garrett basically said Ray would have to pay someone to be his girlfriend. Mika thought it was aimed at her, and thought Garrett was saying that she would "do things" with Ray for money. Once again, this goes somewhat into Mika's character chapter, so I won't talk about it too much. But hey, at least Garrett was sorry for the way he acted, right?

The thing that I like about this couple is how they act as if they normally would around each other (unlike Sam and Star's "lovey-dovey" acting)- and how Ray sees Mika's beauty as her least important feature. One thing I've noticed is that where Sam barely commented on Star's features during their flirting scenes, and how Garrett and Nieta just happened, it was Ray who truly told Mika how he felt (Garrett just used the kiss to summarize his feelings, and Sam was just kind to Star, while Star initiated their first kiss). So, props to Ray for managing to actually verbalize his feelings.

Yes, they are my favorite couple. And no, they did not have sex in the Jegon River. You perverts. But I won't be able to keep them away from each other forever.

Next Chapter: Despite the cheery atmosphere, the tension between Garrett and Creston reaches an all-time high. Finally, one of Creston and Garrett's arguments becomes a full battle between the two! What will happen?

Lizardman King: I'm reviewing thisss time it ssseemsss. Ssso…review for thisss wonderful ssstory…maggotsss.


	55. Garrett vs Creston

-ELECTRIC GUITAR SOLO-

Was that too much? We'll remember that for the next author's note

So in this chapter…it's the moment we've all been waiting for…Creston vs. Garrett!

And so the Rebena Te Ra saga begins. Muahahahahahhahaha!

Griffin: CAW!~

Uh…that was random. Anyways, enjoy the chapter –brilliant flash, and the chapter appears-

* * *

Star clanged a pot. "Dinner is served."

Ray and Mika rushed over from their fishing spot, with Creston and Sam coming over from the map. Garrett and Lianora walked over to the camp fire, from where Lianora was examining Garrett's weapon scroll, and Nieta and Mog walking over from skipping rocks along the water.

Sam gave Star a quick peck on the cheek. "It looks great, Star." Star blushed.

Ray and Garrett immediately grabbed their food, and began to dig in. Creston looked over at them disdainfully.

"Mika, Nieta, can't you control your men?" he asked. Then he saw Mika and Nieta eating just as heartily.

"Never mind," he muttered.

"This meat is delicious!"Garrett managed to say with his mouthful. "Seconds!"

"Ha!" shouted Ray. "I'm on thirds!" He took a huge bite out of a striped apple.

"Calm down, you two," said Star, although she was smiling. "There's plenty."

"Boys go crazy for food, Star," said Lianora, raising her helm just enough to eat a rainbow grape. "You've just got to learn to live with it.

"Well Sam is certainly eating delicately," said Ray, pointing to the Clavat, who had a cloth napkin on his lap so no crumbs got on his coat.

"I'm sorry if I like to keep clean," said Sam. "You should try it sometime, Ray. It's possible to have a clean body AND a clean mind."

"Ha ha," laughed Ray sarcastically. "I'm dirty? How about you and Star sucking face all of the time?"

Sam immediately shut up, and Star turned a furious shade of red.

"Hey, that's nothing on you and Fisherwoman over here," said Garrett, pointing to the two Selkies. "You two go prancing around together all of the time."

"I won't deny it," said Ray. "Don't forget yourself though, lover boy."

Garrett let out a low growl of annoyance, and went back to focusing on his food.

Lianora watched them all. They all were so happy. Sam and Star had almost been together for a year, Garrett and Nieta were still going strong, and now Ray and Mika became the next couple. She held back a sigh. Why was she so jealous of them?

She glanced towards Creston. Lately, he had been becoming kind to her, but what if he just wanted to be friends?

'_Am I ever going to find the right person?' _she thought to herself. She was snapped out of her sorrowful thoughts by the sound of Creston clearing his throat.

"I have good news," he said. "Ray and Mika are completely healed. Tomorrow morning, we'll head for Rebena Te Ra!"

"I'll drink to that!" said Ray, grinning and holding up a bottle. Everyone glared at him.

"It's striped apple cider, I swear," he said, putting his hand up defensively. Mika sniffed it, and confirmed this.

"This is great!" exclaimed Star.

"Where'd you get it?" asked Nieta, taking another sip of the tasty liquid.

"Merchant families find a lot of good stuff," said Ray, with a clever wink.

"And Selkie families steal a lot of good stuff," retorted Garrett. Ray let out a good-natured laugh.

"I wouldn't worry about this bottle being stolen, Garrett," said the male Selkie, suddenly serious. "I'd be more worried about your wallet."

He held up Garrett's battered wallet, and Garrett lunged for it and stole it back. The caravanners laughed heartily.

"This dinner reminds me of when I was a kid," said Sam. "I wonder…did my real parents ever eat with me like you guys?"

Everyone murmured quietly. They all knew about Sam's foster parents' secret now.

"Well, this is nothing like my dinners," said Nieta. "We had fancy food every day. But I never liked it; it looked good, but it didn't taste good. Yuck!"

"Well, at my house, Rex would always take all the good food," said Star, a twinkle in her eye. "Mom would always spank him if he took too much."

The image of Rex being spanked made all the caravanners chortle even more.

"Psssh…that's nothing. At my house, it was a free for all. Grab and eat what you can," explained Ray, smirking.

"Is that where you got your table manners from?" asked Lianora teasingly.

"No. I never ate at the table. I would take my food upstairs where my family couldn't steal it."

Mika chuckled. "That explains your knack for swiping food, eh?"

"Totally."

"And lemme guess. You got in a lot of trouble as a kid, didn't you?" asked Mika.

"No…but I reckon no one's ever hit me as hard as Dah Zul did when she got pissed at me. I swear to god, your crotch shots are the only thing that come close."

"How about you Lia?" asked Star curiously. "What were you like as a kid?"

Lia smiled behind her helm. "In contrast to Ray, I was an angel."

"Anyone's an angel in contrast to Ray," snorted Garrett.

"How about you, Creston?" piped up Nieta, looking over at the oldest caravanner. "What was your childhood like?"

Creston was silent, as if thinking over his answer. Then he replied with "I'd rather not say."

"Oh come on," said Garrett. "It can't have been that bad."

"I'd really rather not," repeated Creston. Although to most of the caravanners, this sounded like a very calm, but firm refusal, Lianora felt as if Creston was really serious about not wanting to talk about it. She wasn't the only one; Star was gazing at Creston curiously, and Ray was sipping his glass, flashing his eyes at Creston occasionally.

"Was polite, honest Creston a bad boy?" teased Garrett.

"Not as bad as you probably were," retorted Creston.

"Hey guys, knock it off," said Mika, waving a hand. They both turned towards her, and nodded.

"Although I don't see why-"

"Garrett!" warned Sam.

"So Garrett, what was your life as a kid like?" asked Lianora, changing the subject to Garrett. Garrett grinned sheepishly.

"My brother and I would fight all the time. He'd win most of the time, knocking me upside the head."

"That explains the brain damage," muttered Creston under his breath. Garrett glared at him.

"I've never had brain damage, helmet head," said Garrett, his voice slightly angry. Ray felt a sweat drop. This wouldn't be good.

"I guess not, considering that thick skull of yours."

"At least I can talk about my past!" growled Garrett. "Why don't you?"

"Because it's not the business of a pest like you," shot back Creston hotly.

"Maybe you were a bad kid. I can understand why no one lived at that house with you. No one can stand you!"

"Guys-," began Star, but Creston flinched. Garrett had touched a nerve.

"Because you were a golden child," spat Creston. "You're mother must've been so proud to give birth to a child with a brain made of rock."

Garrett leaped to his feet. "At least I have a mother at home! What about you? Don't get mad at me because you're father disowned you-"

Whatever happened next happened so quickly that the caravanners could barely register it. Creston stood up, and aimed a punch right at Garrett's face, knocking him backwards.

"Oh no," whispered Lianora. Ray swore.

Garrett pulled his spear off his back, as he got to his feet, growling. "That's it! I've had enough of you!"

"Oh, believe me, the feeling's mutual!" snarled Creston, reaching for his staff.

"No!" screamed Star. "Both of you, quit it!"

Garrett ran forward and swung his spear, but Creston moved backwards, and lashed out with his hammer. Garrett rolled to the side to avoid the hit and thrust his spear up at Creston. Creston was barely hit by the blow, but still let out a grunt of pain.

Nieta and Mika both tried to run forward, but Sam and Ray blocked the way.

"Let us over there!" yelled Mika, leering at Ray.

"They've got to get this out of their system," said Ray firmly.

"Creston may kill him!" shouted Nieta.

"No he won't," assured Sam.

But despite Sam's optimistic words, the battle wasn't getting any better. As a matter of fact, it was getting worse.

Creston muttered some words and sent a blizzard blast flying towards his opponent. Garrett sent over a fire blast, but it was easily destroyed by Creston's spell, and Garrett was frozen. Creston dashed forward and swung his racket, shattering the ice, and hitting Garrett. Garrett swore loudly, and punched Creston in the stomach, before knocking him back with his lance.

Now even Sam looked worried. "I'm gonna go stop them," he said, turning towards the battle, but Ray held him back.

"They're not going to kill each other, but if you get in the way, you might get killed," whispered Ray in his ear.

Garrett dodged two thunder spells cast by Creston, and then chucked his spear towards the Yuke. Creston was caught off guard and the spear hit his shoulder. He let out a hiss of pain, and threw the spear back at Garrett, who barely managed to dodge it. Creston took the Lilty's pause as a chance to cast a slow spell. Garrett's body slowed to molasses speed. Creston then hit the Lilty with a fire spell. Garrett yelped in pain as the flames licked at his body.

"Garrett!" screamed Nieta.

Sam broke free of Ray's grip, and dashed forward, but Ray grabbed him and pulled him back; a fire spell had just struck the spot where Sam had been moments earlier.

Garrett threw his spear again, but this time Creston was ready for him. Creston used a gravity spell, and the weapon plummeted to the ground. Garrett ran over and tried to lift it, but to no avail. Creston hit the Lilty with another spell.

Garrett growled, and ran at Creston, leaving his weapon behind him. He dodged a thunder attack, and kicked Creston in the leg. The Yuke dropped his weapon, which Garrett kicked off to the side. Creston didn't care; he aimed a vicious kick at the side of Garrett's face.

Mika glared at Ray. "You've got to do something!"

Ray looked at her. "We have to let things take their course. Sometimes it's best not to interfere."

"I'm scared, kupo," whispered Mog to Nieta. Nieta held him close.

"Me too, Mog, me too," she replied softly.

Both fighters were starting to get a little tired, but the battle was far from over. Garrett avoided a punch from Creston, and grabbed his arm, starting to twist. Creston retaliated by slamming his metal sallet into Garrett's jaw. Garrett let out a groan, and spat out some blood from his mouth, before he punched Creston in the thigh. Creston dropped to his knees, and the Lilty threw a jab at his head, sending Creston rolling across the ground. But Creston got back up to his feet, panting. Garrett ran at him again, but Creston tripped him. Garrett fell to the ground, and Creston stomped on his back.

"Ugh…!" gasped Garrett, coughing. He grabbed Creston's leg and pulled the Yuke down. "Son of a goblin!"

"Orc dung," countered Creston coolly, his voice sounding rather calm despite the situation, as he kicked Garrett in the shoulder. Garrett fell backwards, but as Creston tried to get up, he kicked the Yuke in the shin. Creston let out a cry, and grabbed his leg in pain. Garrett rolled away, trying to reach for his spear, but Creston aimed another kick at Garrett, who avoided the attack. Garrett threw a punch at Creston, but Creston caught his stubby arm, and twisted it. Garrett, roaring in rage, bit down on Creston's feathery arm. Creston immediately let go of Garrett's arm, and punched him in the gut, sending the Lilty staggering backwards.

"Weakling," snarled Garrett.

"Idiot," replied Creston angrily. They both still stared at each other with intense hate.

"They're not going to kill each other?" asked Mika sarcastically.

"They won't. Trust me on this," said Ray.

"He's right," said Lianora. "I'm worried too, but this has to happen."

Creston and Garrett were both struggling to stand now. Garrett was breathing heavily, while Creston's legs were wobbling. Garrett took a step forward, while Creston shifted his feet. They both fell simultaneously, Garrett on his stomach, and Creston on his back.

"Told you," said Ray. Mika just gave him a worried look.

"Lia, can you treat their injuries?" asked Star. Lianora nodded.

"I can, but I'm not as good as Creston."

"I'll use my cure ring to help," volunteered Ray, holding up said ring. Lianora agreed, and they both headed toward the two tired fighters. Sam stopped Ray.

"How did you know-?"

"-that they wouldn't kill each other? Simple; I almost killed Garrett after the incident from before, but I realized that I was killing someone who was a close friend of mine. Despite their arguments, Creston and Garrett still have a bond, no matter how frail," explained Ray.

"Don't be so sure," warned Nieta. She was staring at her Lilty lover. "That bond may have completely snapped. This isn't like last time; these two have been going at it since the start of the caravan."

"True," admitted Sam. "But there's nothing we can do. They're both out cold. Let's just wait until morning. Lia, can you keep an eye on them?"

The female Yuke nodded. "You can count on me, Sam."

"Alright then. We're good here," said Sam. Mog flew over to Lianora.

"Can I watch with you, kupo?" he asked. "I don't think I can sleep," he explained quietly. Lianora hugged her furry friend close.

"It'll be alright, Mog. Things will get better in the morning. Come on, I'm going to go read the map for a while. You can come with me."

"Sure thing, kupo!"

* * *

It was late at night. The rest of the caravanners were asleep. Garrett was lying in his cot, snoring heavily, with Nieta close by. Sam and Star were in separate sleeping bags right next to each other, and Ray and Mika were sharing a sleeping bag. Creston had been carefully put in his own.

Unseen to the others due to his helm, Creston's eyes shot open in the darkness. He had been feigning sleep for over an hour now.

He got quietly, and walked over to the paopamus. He stroked its fur, and it looked at him, eyes bleary.

"We need to make a trip, you and I," said the Yuke quietly. "Are you up for it?"

The beast gave a low grunt. Creston assumed that meant yes. He walked over to where Sam was sleeping. He picked up Tipa's chalice, and twirled it in his hand. He noticed the Fum chalice near Nieta. He'd leave it there. They might need it.

Creston hopped onto the seat at the front of the caravan. He made sure he had all of this things, and checked to make sure the chalice was safely in place. He glanced back at Garrett, giving him a seething, yet triumphant look.

"Who's the weakling now, Garrett?" asked Creston. "Not only have I regained consciousness before you, but I'm going to get the last drop of myrrh myself."

With a gentle flick of the reins, the paopamus began to move. In a few minutes, Creston was gone.

* * *

Whoo! We're all done here.

Favorite Parts: Star making dinner. I'M KIDDING! THE FIGHT OF COURSE!

I'm guessing I threw everyone for a loop here. It just goes to show, Garrett and Creston have a vicious rivalry.

Creston did pretty well for fighting physically, although he mostly anticipated Garrett's moves. Garrett is stronger, but Creston is a strategist. Still though, Creston finally started a fight, not Garrett.

Lianora is feeling rather angsty. She doesn't know if she fits in. She's a very nice character, though.

And so Creston has run away. But he'll be in for a nasty shock. Heheheh…hypocrite. He was mad when Ray ran off, but now Creston has done it, too!

Next Chapter: Creston is on the road, heading towards Rebena Te Ra. The caravanners wake up to find that their caravan is gone. And Creston is in for a surprise as well.

Golem: Processing…demanding review, now. Please review, all of you people.


	56. Missing!

-skydives out of a plane- Here we are, with yet another chapter.

This is going to be a very short chapter, in all honesty. Basically, Creston makes a shocking discovery, and so do the other caravanners.

That's it. Really. Let's just get this pointless chapter out of the way. :P –chapter fades in-

* * *

Sam's eyes shot open as he felt himself being shaken awake violently. He looked around wildly, and his eyes focused on Nieta.

"What is it?" he asked, fumbling around for his sword. "Are we being attacked?"

"No, no, Sam! Nothing like that," Nieta responded. Meanwhile, Mika and Garrett were shaking Ray awake.

"Then what is it?" asked Sam.

"Creston is gone!" yelled Garrett from afar. "And so is Lia!"

"What!?" exclaimed Sam.

* * *

Creston pulled the caravan to a halt, in front of the dark city of Rebena Te Ra. It was always night in Rebena Te Ra; Creston could make out a black sky hovering over the dead city.

"Well…I'm here," said Creston, talking to himself. He had been doing that a lot lately. He was worried that it was becoming an unhealthy habit.

Creston stared back at the miasma stream he had gone through, feeling a slight pang of guilt in his chest. But he shook it away; after all, not only was he getting some myrrh, but he was saving the caravan from a potential threat. He glanced at a worn-looking letter next to him. This wasn't wrong; he had his reasons.

He got up from the helm of the cart, patted the tired papaomus, and moved to get his supplies from the back. He opened the curtains, and let out a shocked noise.

Lianora was sleeping soundly in the back, holding a dozing Mog in her feathery arms. Creston then remembered. The two of them had gone into the carriage to read the map! And they must of fallen asleep…so that's why he hadn't seen Lianora sleeping with the others!

Creston smacked his helm, angry with himself for being so foolish. He should have known better. But not only should he have checked, but the Yuke now realized exactly what he had done.

He had taken the Tipa chalice and cart to go off into the Rebena Plains, to visit one of the most dangerous dungeons to be found in this world. On top of that, he had left his friends with a chalice, meaning they could follow him. Oh, and not to mention the fact that he had one of said caravanners in his cart, and that he had to take her into the village with him, or else leave her sleeping without a chalice to protect her.

Creston swore, as Lianora began to stir.

* * *

"Well…I'm no Einstein, but I'm guessing that Creston stole the carriage and our chalice," explained Ray bluntly.

"What was your first clue?!" hissed Garrett, annoyed. "The fact that we lack a cart, or the fact that we lack a second chalice!?"

"Well…," began Ray, but Sam cut him off.

"Alright…we need to figure out where Creston went," said the Clavat leader. "Any ideas?"

"He's still on this side of the Jegon River," said Nieta. "Star and I asked Tristan if he took anyone across the river."

"And that means Kilanda is out of the question, too," continued Star.

"He won't be in Conall Curach, either," said Mika. "Seeing that Ray and I have just been there."

"Selepation Cave?" suggested Ray. Sam shook his head.

"We were just there last year. Same with Daemon's Court. I don't see why he would ditch us to go there. And the same goes for the Fields of Fum."

Silence. Then Star piped up.

"Well then…I guess the only place left that we know of is…Rebena Te Ra…," she said warily.

They all exchanged glances. Rebena Te Ra was an ancient city of long ago. But now it was plagued by evil, and skeletons and nightmarish beasts walked up and down the old stone streets.

"Well…I guess we have to go there. We'll use the Fum's chalice. They can wait a couple more days," decided Sam. "We don't have Mog with us, so we'll have to carry the chalices ourselves. So everyone pack up, and let's go."

* * *

"You did WHAT!?" shrieked Lianora, astounded.

"Calm down," said Creston.

"Calm down!? You only stole Tipa's caravan!" she shouted. "Not to mention the fact that you dragged me with you!"

"It was an accident," retorted Creston.

"Why would you do something like this?" asked Lianora. "You can't do this alone, and even with my help, this is madness!"

"Look!" shouted Creston fiercely, and Lianora grew silent in shock. "I have my reasons, all right? I didn't mean for you to come with me, and if it was possible I'd send you back right now!"

Lia sighed. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you pull a stunt like this?" asked the female Yuke. She thought it would be good to find out why exactly Creston had taken her to the Rebena Plains. "This isn't just some ego thing—you're not just trying to prove your strength to Garrett, are you?"

"He isn't worth my time," insisted Creston. Mog looked at him curiously.

"Then why, kupo?"

Creston pulled out a very ragged looking letter. "It's from my father. When I looked at it, I recognized this material as part of a tapestry found in Rebena Te Ra."

"So what are you trying to say?" prompted Lianora. She wanted to understand the whole situation.

"My father has certain goals that he would like to achieve," continued Creston. "We'll leave it at that. But he's a threat…maybe to our entire caravan…but…the point is…if he's been here, I want to find out what he's been up to."

"What if he's still here?" asked Lianora, back to her normal, calm, collected self.

"Then I suppose I'll have to confront him," said Creston. He said nothing more.

"Creston, about what Garrett said last night-" began Lia.

But that was a wrong move. Creston's hand immediately clenched.

"There is nothing that needs to be discussed," he replied icily.

"A-all right," answered Lia, trying not to press him. "Are we all set to go?"

"We?" asked Creston, confused.

"I'm not letting you waltz into an entire city of dark monsters," said Lianora.

"I'm not letting you endanger yourself for my own reasons," retorted Creston.

"You're not the boss of me!" said Lianora. "And you're only other choice is to take me back to the others. Do you want to do that instead?"

Creston wanted to giving her a scorching response, but he held his tongue.

"Fine!" he growled, angry at how she had outwitted him. "You can come."

* * *

Ugh…we're done…I hated this chapter. So short, so annoying

Favorite Parts: All in all, I didn't really have any. This was a very bland chapter to write, although Creston's annoyance was rather amusing to type up.

This is mainly a filler/ foreshadowing chapter. It's very suspenseful, although soon Creston's story will be out in the open.

There's some Creston/Lia going on, although it's kind of hard to tell with them arguing. Creston doesn't want to take Lia because he wants her to be safe. Lia wants to go with Creston to make sure he's okay. But it's a bit hard to tell, eh?

Selstun, Creston's father, may be in Rebena Te Ra. While it's hard to understand now, Creston's story reveals all…and I'm planning a oneshot all about Selstun, which will explain Selstun's story as well.

Next Chapter: The two Yukes have entered Rebena Te Ra. Ghosts, skeletons, and spectral horses abound! And through it all, Creston gets the feeling he's being watched.

Dragon Zombie: Yay. I get a review request. So…review, mortals.


	57. The Once Golden City

-dramatic music- BUM BUM BUUUUUUUM!

So like, we are startin the Rebena Te Ra saga, yes?

Creston and Lia and monsters galore! And Mog, too. Oh, and some returning monsters. Tee hee.

Seeing that you all will kill me if I don't finish this chapter soon, I'll start it. :D

And be warned: there will be a lot of "smart talking" (We are dealing with Yukes, after all).

-wind blows the chapter in through a window-

* * *

"Well then…here we are," said Creston simply.

He, Lianora, and Mog studied their surroundings. Rebena Te Ra was large…very large. There were many stone paths leading to different sections of the area, and many stone ruins of buildings lay about. The sky was black, and glittered with stars. In the center of the once-living city was a great temple, standing tall. A steep set of stairs led to a doorway that led into the stone building.

"I'm guessing we have to go there," said Lianora, pointing to the door. Creston nodded, and the three travelers moved towards the staircase. They stopped at two treasure chests.

"We're not going to say no to some treasure, are we?" asked Creston.

"I don't see why not," agreed Lianora, stepping toward the other treasure chest. Creston kicked his open and pulled out some gold.

"AH!" screamed Lianora. Creston whirled around. He was astonished to find that Lianora's chest wasn't a chest at all; it was a monster. The creature had sharp teeth, and was yellow and blue in appearance. Long claws were visible on large hands, which were swiping at his female companion.

The monster tried to cut Lia with its claws, but she was too quick for it. She bopped it over the head with her hammer, and the monster fell to the ground, groaning.

"Are you alright?" asked Creston, walking over, and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine…what was that thing?" she asked.

"A mimic," explained Creston. "They disguise themselves as treasure chests, and they spring out and attack the unwary."

"Clearly," said Lianora, eyeing the dead monster with distaste.

The two of them walked up the large staircase to the top of the temple. Creston pushed on the doorway. It wouldn't budge.

"Typical," he drawled. "I can feel the myrrh tree beyond this doorway, and we can't get through."

"Well, how do we open the door?" asked Lianora.

"Mog, look around," ordered Creston in response. Mog nodded, and flew around. He flew upwards to the top of the building.

"I found a switch, kupo!" he reported.

"Can you press it?" asked Lianora.

"It won't budge! The chalice isn't heavy enough, either!"

"Ah…," realized Creston. "Very clever."

"I don't get it, kupo," said Mog, but Lianora understood.

"You have to get to that switch, and I'm guessing you must fight monsters along the way. By the time you reach the switch, you're tired from the fight. Oh, and I'm guessing that you have to walk all the way back around to the doorway again, making yourself even more exhausted."

"You figured out all of that yourself just now?" asked Lia, impressed.

"I am a Yuke, after all," joked Creston, with a low chuckle. "So… let's go find that switch, shall we?"

The two Yukes descended from the staircase. They turned around and faced the temple again.

"Right or left?" asked Creston. Lia looked in both directions. They both looked as if they could work, but the Yuke felt that the left path would be better.

"Left," replied Lia.

They both kept walking.

"Notice how it's easier to breathe here than in the rest of the Rebena Plains?" questioned Creston.

"I'll bet that it's because Rebena Te Ra was once a city. I've heard that there was once a crystal here, like in Tida, but it's long gone, whereas Tida's downfall wasn't a really long time ago."

"I noticed in Tida that it wasn't hard to breathe in the miasma at all…well…what I mean is that compared to the Manor…and the sluice, Tida wasn't very….breathtaking…but I suppose I didn't realize it until later. Giant worms and skeletons can make you miss things."

"Most likely."

"Halt!" called a wheezing voice. Creston and Lianora both got into defensive positions. A skeleton emerged from behind a ravaged wall.

"Who goes there?" he asked, eyeing them carefully.

"Caravanners," said Creston, holding his hands up.

"Why have you come?" asked the creature. Lianora didn't like his tone.

"Does it matter?" asked Creston, making a weak attempt to stall.

"Yes."

'_That went well,' _thought Creston sarcastically. With a sigh, he shot a fire blast straight at the skeleton.

"Creston!" yelled Lianora in shock. The skeleton, meanwhile, tried to put out the flames on his body.

"I had no choice," he shouted back. "We aren't going to be able to stroll through this horrible place like a flowery meadow. We have to FIGHT!"

The skeleton put out the flames, but he was struck down by Creston's hammer. As the once-living monster lay on the ground, he gave Creston a poisonous look. He picked up a rock, and feebly threw it at Creston, although Creston avoided the attack.

"One down," remarked Creston. "Just an entire army to go. Come on, Lia."

Lianora followed Creston, worried. Something about Creston wasn't right…he seemed a great deal colder…more ruthless.

Meanwhile, behind some old stone, a dark figure watched them.

"So it's them," the figure remarked. He turned to a skeleton, giving him a nod. "Sound the alarm. We've got intruders."

Sepulcherre nodded, grinning a ghastly smile at the thought of getting his vengeance on Creston.

* * *

The two Yukes and moogle moved on, but a loud noise stopped them. Lianora looked up to see a bat flying across the sky, screeching at the top of its lungs.

"A threat?" asked Creston, musing aloud.

"More likely bait," said Lianora. "Or an alarm. They're trying to draw us out…or to tell every enemy for miles around that we're in the area."

"Perfect," groaned Creston, heaving a sigh.

"You can only blame yourself," responded Lianora matter-of-factly.

She waited for Creston to give her a barbed reply, but Creston just shook his head, and twirled his staff in his hand. He made a motion for them to keep going.

There next two enemies were a ghost and a mimic, although they took out the mimic easily. The ghost proved to be more troublesome. Creston had to prepare for a holy spell, which took him some time. But it all paid off; after it had been solidified, Lianora destroyed the icy creature with a fire spell.

They moved forward, stepping into a maze like section of the area. Creston noticed the same flying critter from before; a sonic bat.

"I'll get it," said Lianora, putting a hand on Creston's arm, motioning for him to move. Creston nodded. Lia stepped forward, and cast her gravity spell, and the furry monster plummeted to the ground below, with a loud CRACK!

"Nice," commented Creston. Lia turned around, embarrassed.

"It didn't see me," she insisted. "It was a lucky shot."

"Still, I'm impressed…you're very talented," said Creston. Lianora flushed under her mask. Then she shook it off; he was probably just being nice to apologize for his bad attitude before.

They came across a couple more bats, which put up a more difficult fight then the first. Lianora was hit by a sonic blast, which had her stunned momentarily. Mog also fought a bat, swinging the chalice into the oncoming creature, knocking it right out of the sky. Creston also managed to pelt another one with a well-aimed rock.

"Hmmm…a key," remarked Creston, pointing to the crescent-shaped object as it appeared from the bat's corpse.

"How can a key fit inside a bat that small, kupo?" asked Mog.

It was Lia who answered. "Magic. A truly powerful being can perform magic we've never even dreamed of."

"Well…shall we put this key to good use?" asked Creston, twirling the object around on one of his fingers. Without waiting for an answer, he tossed the key into the slot. It fit in the lock with a click, and the door opened.

They came across something peculiar next. There were two switches, and a blue-purple barrier stretched across a doorway.

Creston moved to walk through it.

"Creston…," began Lia, putting up a hand. "Don't-"

But Creston was laughing.

"It's all right, Lia…I can't get past it, see?" answered her friend. True enough, his hand was repelled by the strange energy of the blockade.

"So what do we do?"

"Well…hmmm," mumbled Creston, pondering for a moment. He clapped his winged hands together.

"I get it now. This trap was designed for only a single person to accomplish."

"Really?" asked Lianora. She couldn't keep up with Creston. Although she was smart…Creston thought at the speed of light.

"Indeed…you have to press both switches at the same time. However, only a heavy object will press down these switches…so it's designed to make a caravanner drop their chalice on one switch, while they leave the barrier to step on the other."

"So it weakens the person heading deeper into the dungeon," murmured Lia thoughtfully. Creston nodded.

"Precisely. It's a very clever method, although a little crude for my tastes. And we don't have to worry about getting hurt, seeing as we have two people, eh?"

"I guess you're right," said Lianora. She and Creston moved to step on the switches. As they did, the barriers vanished!

As they moved to the other side of where the barrier had once been, they heard a sound that was all-too familiar; the hard beating of large wings.

"Shoot!" said Lianora, watching a gargoyle fly towards them, shooting projectiles down at them.

"He's behind a wall, we can't deal with him!" said Creston. "Run!"

The two Yukes fled, Lianora catching a frozen Mog, and being careful to avoid another mimic. They bolted around a corner, but they ran into another gargoyle. With some quick magic, Lianora and Creston took care of the creature, only to run into another. This monster seemed to resemble a horse- or was at one point a horse. Now it was just a shadowy, black-purple ghost.

"A nightmare," remarked Creston, impressed.

"We're not dreaming, Creston," replied Lianora.

"No, that's the name of that monster. A nightmare," explained Creston.

"Oh, I knew that," said Lia, blushing at her foolishness under her helm. "I just thought-"

"Oh, it's fine-," said Creston quickly, sounding rather foolish himself. "It's not a problem-"

But he was interrupted by an angry whinny from the horse, and was hit with an electric attack. Creston put his arms in front of him, trying to shield himself from the blast. He slid backwards and fell over, shocked.

"Lia!" cried Creston. "Hit him with holy."

"I-I can't!" shouted Lianora. "I can't do it!"

"Try to combine an offensive spell and a cure spell!" urged Creston.

Lianora tried, but she only fired out a normal fire attack. Creston saved the day. He fired a holy spell at the demonic steed. With a low cry, it became living once more.

"Lia, finish it off!" commanded Creston. Lianora was only happy to oblige. She whacked the nightmare over its dark head. It staggered backwards and fell over, dead- well, at least dead AGAIN.

"This place is insane, kupo!" shouted Mog.

"Shhh…Mog!" whispered Lianora urgently. "Be quiet! We don't want to-"

_Flap flap flap._

"Alert any more monsters," finished Lia under her breath.

"Gargoyle," warned Creston. He aimed a gravity spell at the gargoyle, but he missed. The gargoyle shot a projectile at him and Mog each. Lianora snuck behind the gargoyle and brought it to the ground. Creston whacked the monster a couple of times. The gargoyle screeched in pain, and rolled over onto its back.

"Now what?" asked Creston. Lia pointed to a large doorway.

"How about this?"

"Well…nowhere else we can go, except backwards," commented Creston, stretching his feathery arms.

"Then I guess we're going forward," remarked Lianora briskly, setting off through the doorway, Creston at her heels.

'_She's handling the whole situation rather well,_' thought Creston to himself. '_Far better than I would have if I were in her position. She truly is a remarkable woman_.'

He stopped for a moment. Remarkable? When did he start thinking like that?

Shaking away these strange new thoughts, Creston continued to follow his fellow Yuke.

* * *

"It's sort of sad, isn't it?" said Lianora, sitting on an old piece of rubble, staring at a gargoyle corpse.

Creston was eating a star carrot. "What is?" asked Creston curiously.

"It's just that…this old city, Rebena Te Ra…it used to be a place of greatness…a place where all four tribes could gather and live in peace…but now…"

"I don't know…judging by how Garrett and I just fought-"

"Creston," said Lia with a sigh. "I'm serious."

"I know…it's very saddening…," agreed Creston solemnly.

"What do you think it would have been like?" asked Lia, staring at him intently.

"What what would have been like?"

"What would it have been like to live in the golden age?" queried Lia.

"Well…I suppose it would be wonderful…no miasma…no myrrh gathering…no journeying to dead cities of long ago," answered Creston thoughtfully.

"Do you think it'll ever become that way again?"

"I wish I knew Lia…I wish I knew…but sadly, the golden age is no more. The past is gone. For now, we must focus on the future."

Creston walked over to a sealed door up ahead. "Hrrmmm…this is strange."

He looked around and spotted a peculiar orb on a perch near the doorway. He poked a finger at it. With a sharp hiss of pain, he pulled his hand back.

"What's wrong?" asked Lia, on guard immediately.

"It's cold…," reported Creston. "Very cold."

"Cast blizzard on it," suggested Lia. Creston obliged. Sure enough, the door opened.

Creston stepped through, but as he did, the door began to close.

"Lia, hurry!" he shouted. Lianora hurried through the door.

Creston eyed the door warily. "Another tricky trap."

"What's this one?" asked Lianora.

"That one in particular, is designed to trap multiple characters. Trap a caravanner with a chalice on one side, and a caravanner without a chalice on the other."

"But as long as you can perform magic-," began Lia.

"But if we take some like Garrett, who can't perform magic, then they're stuck there. See how I can't cast a spell now that I'm on the other side? You try it."

Lianora did as she was told, and to her surprise, she couldn't strike the icy orb from the other side of the door.

"Fascinating…all of this old, ancient technology…and it's still in perfect use."

"Well…I suspect that whoever guards this area keeps it that way," theorized Creston darkly.

"Watch out!" yelled Lianora, pushing Creston out of the way. At the same time, he heard a squelching noise, and a sharp cry of pain. Creston looked and saw that a wraith had stabbed Lia in the stomach.

"Unh…," she moaned, dropping to her knees.

"Get away from her!" shouted Creston thunderously, casting a much more powerful holy spell on the undead monster. The wraith died as soon as he became solid.

Creston stared at his hand in astonishment. "When did I gain this power?" he asked himself. Then his thoughts returned to earth.

"Lia! Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling next to her. He cast a cure spell quickly.

"Well…that was no way to get better," she groaned in reply. Creston pulled out some bandages from his pack and started wrapping her up.

"It seems like I'm everyone's doctor nowadays," he said. Lianora let out a weak laugh.

"Well you're good at your job," she said as Creston finished bandaging her.

He helped her to her feet. They stood still for a moment.

"Uh…Creston…I can stand now."

"Right…sorry."

They arrived at another door with a sphere next to it, this one fire. Lia did the honors, and the three travelers slipped beyond another door. They killed another wraith on the other side. Surprisingly, Creston met with a familiar face. A skeleton stood, scimitar in hand.

"You!" he said, pointing at the bony beast. "You were at Tida. I recognize your armor."

The skeleton laughed. "Yes, it is I- Sukull. I'm glad you remember me, Creston."

"How do you know my name?" asked Creston, his eyes narrowing, unseen by his surrounding company. He never recalled mentioning his name in front of those three skeletons.

"I have my sources of information."

"And I'll soon have mine. Lia, don't aim to kill. I want answers," said Creston. Lianora opened her mouth to argue about not taking risks, but decided against it. She nodded.

Sukull let out a croaking laugh, then whistled loudly.

"Come on out, pup!" he commanded.

Creston swore lowly as a monstrous dog emerged from the shadows. It had long ears, green eyes, terrible teeth and claws, and two large tails. A thick brown pelt was on its huge body, and it had chains dangling from it. A Cerberus. As if they hadn't met enough new monsters.

"Attack!" shouted Sukull. But he felt a bony hand on his shoulder.

Sepulcherre's red eyes gleamed. "What do you think you're doing?!" he hissed.

"Killing Creston, as ordered," responded Sukull. "What's the problem?"

"You know very well what the problem is! Creston is MINE!"

"I don't think it matters how he gets killed, Sepulcherre."

Meanwhile, Creston dodged an energy ball hurled at him by the Cerberus. He rolled out of the way, but was slashed by jagged claws as he hit the dog with a blizzard spell. The dog snarled and tried to cut him open with its claws again as Creston rolled away.

"Lousy mutt," he growled, feeling a gash in his side.

"No! No! No!" ranted the mage skeleton. He cast his own blizzard spell on the Cerberus. The dog let out a pained whimper, and fell on its side, sides heaving as it fought for breath.

Sukull whirled on his comrade. "Are you insane!? This is more than just revenge, Sepulcherre."

"It is only revenge, Sukull!" growled the mage, kicking Sukull aside, as Lianora came at the two skeletons with her hammer. Sukull took the blow, and it was so powerful that his body shattered into separate pieces.

His head turned to face Sepulcherre. "Sep…ulcherre…"

"I regret it," remarked Sepulcherre coldly. Then he turned and scampered off.

Creston made to go after him, but was stopped by Lianora. "No! Don't forget why we're here!"

"Fine," growled Creston, his eyes following the fleeing skeletal mage. This wasn't over.

* * *

They had another fight with a gargoyle, and a skeleton named Ambriston (who was killed by Mog, while Creston distracted him). They also got into a couple of fights with some mimics. But Creston was pondering what Ambriston had mentioned- he had mentioned someone who was in charge of the skeletons, but he also mentioned a king.

Creston told this to Lianora, who looked puzzled.

"All that I can decipher is that there is both a king, and some sort of general- a higher rank of sorts," she responded.

"I believe so too…but I want to know more about this "higher rank"," explained Creston.

"Why are you so curious?" asked Lianora, perplexed by Creston's dark thoughts.

"They knew we were coming…but it's more than that; those skeletons knew my name; I wonder…do you think Rex has anything to do with this?"

Lianora looked thoughtful. "I can't see Rex coming all the way here. Besides, he lacks a chalice. He couldn't make it on his own."

"He has a portable crystal; I saw it when he was fleeing," said Creston.

"Even so, he wants money…and I highly doubt that the ruler of this place would be willing to part with all this treasure. Is there any other enemy of ours who could've told the skeletons about you?"

Creston's thoughts immediately rushed toward one person, but he shook them off.

"I have no idea. But I suppose I'll find out," he answered. He walked up to a door with a purple orb next to it.

"Thunder," guessed Lianora, casting her spell on the orb. The door opened, and the Yukes stepped through.

They came across two more foes; a Cerberus and a wraith. Lianora and Creston easily dispatched the ghost with a holy and fire spell combo, but the Cerberus proved more difficult.

"Duck!" yelled Creston, ducking below a ball of energy. The Cerberus took a deep breath and breathed out flames. They scorched Lia's clothes as she rolled away. Creston tried to cast a slow spell to slow the monster down, but it avoided the attack easily.

Lianora grew annoyed. "Hold still!" she cried, attempting to cast a slow spell.

But she didn't. Instead, a golden, white light emerged from her staff and hit the giant hellhound with great speed and power. The Cerberus let out a cry, but then stopped moving. It was frozen solid, but not in ice.

"A stop spell," breathed Creston, amazed. Despite his high skill in magic, Creston was never able to cast a stop spell.

"Kill it, quick," ordered Lianora. "I'm weak…from the spell."

Creston obliged, hitting the massive monster with a well aimed blizzard spell.

"How did you do that?" asked Creston.

"First time I ever did," replied Lianora, just as mystified. "I'm sure many people-"

"Oh no they can't," interrupted Creston, shaking his head. "Stop spells are extremely hard to perform. You have to time it just perfectly. I only know one other person who perfected a stop spell. And it took him eight years to do it."

"Who was it?" asked Lia.

"My father," answered Creston flatly.

Creston walked over to a door, but there was no orb present. He stepped nearer, and then looked down, shocked- there was a violet symbol beneath his feet. Nearby, a skeletal mage assembled, and stared at him, but did not attack.

Creston stepped backwards. "Thunder!"

Nothing happened as the lightning struck the switch. The undead mage continued to watch.

"Gravity?" asked Lianora. Creston tried again, but to no avail.

"Not easy, is it?" remarked the mage.

"Who are you?" asked Creston.

"Marginall, if it matters," responded the mage indifferently.

"You haven't attacked us…why?" asked Creston.

"Not all of us skeletons are evil," answered Marginall, shrugging his bony shoulders. "Back in the olden days, when Rebena Te Ra was still in the golden age, I was a guard for the door. And I continue to do my job."

"But there must be a way to get through," pressed Creston.

"There is."

Creston looked at the skeleton mage, then looked at the door. Then he recoiled from the symbol slightly. He glanced at the mage. "You can't be serious. You MUST be joking."

The mage merely shook his head, and Lia thought he saw a smiling playing on his gruesome face.

"How crude," remarked Creston in disgust.

"What is it?" asked Lianora. Creston didn't answer, but stepped onto the symbol. He nodded to the mage. Marginall attacked Creston with a Thundara spell. Creston trembled violently but did not fall, although when the spell ended, he staggered backwards.

"What was that, kupo?" asked Mog.

"You need to get hurt to get past that door," answered Creston. "That way, you become weaker after you go through the door, making you easier to kill."

"But why- I could've-," protested Lia, but Creston waved a hand.

"I'm not as important as you, Lia," he said patiently. Lianora blushed behind her helm. "You are far more needed than I am."

"But-"

"No buts. Let's keep going."

They set off through the door, with Creston not even saying a word to Marginall. The skeleton watched them silently as they went.

"He's right," remarked the skeleton. "It's better he takes the damage. Something tells me when that lad finds out the surprise behind this place, he'll be far more likely to die."

* * *

Another Cerberus attacked them, as well as another wraith (Creston got a nasty bite on his arm, which Lianora had to cure multiple times to stop the bleeding). They were getting injured left and right; they had ran out of bandages. Creston went through another ordeal of pain as they reached some more symbols on the ground (in which Creston was hit multiple times before he even realized what he had to do). They also came across a puzzle that involved switches. Creston managed to solve it, after what seemed like hours, but all they found was a key that they couldn't use. They headed back towards the place where they found four white symbols on the ground.

"That was a colossal waste of time," grumbled Creston bitterly, not sounding unlike Garrett.

"Who knows?" said Lia, shrugging. "Maybe someone just left a key there. It may not have a purpose."

They came to two more symbols, one red and one blue. Creston once again offered to take the damage from Granerst and Specrin (the two skeletal guards). However, Mog took a blow for Creston, allowing them to walk through another door, back into the first area, near the temple.

"You didn't need to do that," scolded Creston, curing Mog's injuries.

"Well, kupo, you needed a break," said Mog, laughing a little. Lianora smiled at the fuzzy creature.

"Well…we're right near that switch," remarked Creston, pointing. "We just need to climb some stairs, and we're there."

They began to head forward, but a nightmare and a ghost stood in their way.

* * *

The same dark figure from before stood atop the temple, guarding the switch that opened the Lich's chamber.

Sepulcherre stood beside him. "General," he said, bowing. "Tell me, when do we get to kill Creston and his friends?"

The figure turned to face Sepulcherre. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice lace with just a hint of menace.

"When do we dispose of-"

"I heard what you said," interrupted the figure, turning away from Sepulcherre. He looked over the edge of the temple. He let out a sharp breath: Creston and Lianora, and that silly little moogle of theirs, were ascending the tower, while fighting some ghostly beings.

The cloaked figure turned to face Sepulcherre again. "Why is he still alive?" he asked coolly.

"I thought you wanted to kill him," answered Sepulcherre, feigning confusion.

"No, YOU wanted to kill him," said the figure. "I just wanted him dead."

"Good general, I never had the chance-"

"You had the chance, but you chose to kill Sukull and Cerberus instead!" challenged the cloaked general harshly.

"My good general!" cried Sepulcherre. "I thought, you of all people, would want to kill him! And I beg you to let me help!"

The figure gave Sepulcherre a cold glance. "And yet…you have killed Sukull before Creston?"

Silence.

"Where is Sukull?" whispered the figure.

"Gone…," answered Sepulcherre fearfully.

"Then so are you!" shouted the figure, pushing Sepulcherre over the edge of the temple roof. Sepulcherre screamed as he plummeted through the dark sky, but his cries died as his body hit the stone stairs and broke into pieces.

"Fool," spat the figure. "Revenge will only get you killed."

He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around.

Creston ascended the stairs with great ease, Lia and Mog at his heels. But when he reached the top, he stopped, and fell into a fighting position.

There, standing not far ahead of him, was a cloaked figure in a hood. From the black depths of the hood, Creston thought he could see a faint red eye.

"Who are you?" asked Creston, but he already knew the answer. "Let me guess; the general?"

The figure nodded.

"Yes well…just step away from the switch, alright," said Lianora, falling into a battle position of her own. But deep down, she felt uneasy; what was this thing?

The figure made no signs of moving.

"Well…are you going to move?" asked Creston. No response.

"Who exactly are you!?" asked Creston, losing his patience.

Silence again. Then the figure reached a hand to its hood, and with one powerful motion, he tore the cloak completely off.

Creston watched, as horror and shock set in on him. Behind him, he heard Lianora drop her staff as she too recognized the so called "general." Mog recoiled slightly in fear. Creston dropped to his knees for a moment, but got back up to his feet quickly.

"Hello Creston," said Selstun, glowing with a dark aura.

* * *

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY!

Favorite Parts: Honestly? The revealing of Selstun as the dark figure/ skeleton general.

So yes…Selstun makes his return! The full extent of this part of the story will show up in the next chapter though.

They've basically gotten all the way through Rebena Te Ra. Now all they have to do is retrace their steps to get back to the boss chamber.

Now we shall discuss the recurring monsters that died.

Sukull: A simple skeleton character. I wanted one of them to die early, one to get killed by Selstun, and one to die during the Lich battle, which is why Rearper hasn't shown up yet. Sukull's death is ironic, as Sepulcherre essentially causes it, with his desire of revenge. So basically, Sukull dies a meaningless death, that is not unlike Bonescratch's murder by Knifeface.

Sepulcherre: The leader of the original skeleton trio, and the only mage of the group. He is power hungry, and holds a person vendetta against Creston, as Creston's trio (Him, Star, and Nieta) easily defeated Sepulcherre's trio (Him, Sukull, and Rearper). Sepulcherre is too vain and narcissistic, letting vengeance cloud his thoughts, killing a comrade out of his desire for his revenge- and HIS alone. Selstun kills him not only because Sepulcherre accidentally betrayed him, but because I need to build up Selstun's character a LOT in the next three chapters. Also, Sepulcherre dies easily because, unlike Knifeface, he isn't a force to be reckoned with.

Rearper shows up during the Lich King battle. Enough said.

Next Chapter: The final showdown between Selstun and Creston has come down. Lianora tries to help, but winds up getting injured horribly when she tries to interfere. Creston may have the strength to face his father, but will he have the strength to kill him? Will he even get the chance?

Gremmy the Gremlin: -makes scratchy, snarling noises-

Ray: What my longtime enemy is trying to say is "Review, bitches! For the favorite recurring monster."


	58. Father and Son

Hello, my wonderful readers. Welcome to another thrilling installment of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles.

Here it comes! The long awaited battle between Selstun and Creston! And Lianora is thrown in the mix a couple of times.

So yes…in the author's world, we are currently posing in Selepation Cave. It makes our capes blow in the wind. And Jack Moschet is hiding from Maggie again.

Jack: WAH!

So…we shall begin this thrilling chapter! –Orcs carry the chapter in-

* * *

"Surprised to see me?" asked Selstun, laughing coldly.

"It was you," whispered Creston, his voice hoarse. "It was you all along."

"Clever deduction," said Selstun with a sneer. "The apple does not fall far from the tree it seems. But it didn't fall too close, either."

Lianora stiffened. Something was different about Selstun- he was standing in the shadows right now, so she couldn't tell…but he seemed to be thinner…gaunter. Or at least his silhouette was. His voice had also changed slightly. The strange, ice cold tone from before had become more malevolent…and less human.

"Creston…don't be so angry," said Selstun. "After all…I have found a way to conquer miasma…like I always wanted."

Creston was temporarily snapped out of his trance. "That's impossible," he said. "You can't have."

"Oh really?" asked Selstun. "I have. I paid a heavy price for it, but I have…here…let me show you…"

And so he stepped out of the shadows, and into the moonlight. Creston stared in horror.

Selstun had changed dramatically from the Yuke he had been before. His clothes were ragged and torn, the signs that his life had not been easy after he had left Shella. His body was gaunter, as Lianora had noted, and he seemed to be even thinner than he had seemed when he was in the shadows. His winged arms now had bone visible, with a few feathers remaining. On his left hand, he was missing two fingers. His helm had a large crack in it on the right side, and had some dents in it. One of his horns had broken at the tip. And from deep within his right eyehole, there was a red gleam.

"See what I have become?" declared Selstun, his voice harsh and rough. "I have conquered miasma, and with it…certain death itself. If you cannot defeat miasma…why not join it?"

Creston stared. "You're wrong…delusional," replied Creston quietly.

"Am I?" croaked Selstun, his red eye (or what might have been his red eye) glowing brighter. "Notice how I have lived out here, with miasma trying to devour me hungrily. However, thanks to developing an abnormally large miasma tolerance…I can no longer be hurt by miasma at all. I would thank De Nam for sharing ideas with me in Shella, but he's dead so…oh well."

Creston suddenly had a leap of intuition. "Now I understand," he said, his voice regaining some emotion to it.

"Oh?"

"Yes. You traded notes with De Nam back in Shella, and when De Nam came out here, so did you. Then let me guess…you went to Conall Curach and watched him perform his research?"

"Clever," barked Selstun. "And correct."

"And once you figured out everything you needed to know, you killed him," said Creston.

"Of course not," said Selstun. "I had a monster kill him."

"How did you get a monster to listen to you?" asked Lia, speaking for the first time.

"He's bluffing," explained Creston, but he felt a small prick of fear.

"Wrong again…," said Selstun, glaring at Creston with barely suppressed triumph. "I came to Rebena Te Ra before I journeyed to Conall Curach. I have spoken with the Lich King, and…he's taught me a few tricks."

"He taught you how to control monsters…," said Creston.

"Exactly. I can control simple minded beasts, such as mus, flan, and even Cerberus," explained Selstun. "So it was easy for me to get an abaddon to end De Nam's existence. Of course I have my limits; intelligent monsters, like lizardmen and skeletons, cannot be controlled by me."

"How did you become the general of this place?" asked Creston, his tone growing angry. What had his father done?

"Simple. I can't control skeletons…but the Lich taught me how to assemble them. I can take the corpses of the dead and reanimate them...necromancy, in a way. Although I couldn't make skeletons be controlled by me, they are now under my command, as ordered by the Lich."

"But you paid a price," guessed Creston, knowing he was right. He made a gesture to his father's appearance.

"True…I must now serve the Lich…and my appearance has been ruined. But Creston…I will survive…and once I tell the tribes about this experience…they'll all survive too! And I'll be a hero, worshipped as a savior!"

"So that's why you killed De Nam, so he wouldn't find a way to survive in miasma before you!" exclaimed Lianora. Selstun laughed a heartless laugh.

"He was a fool; he wouldn't have succeeded anyway. Killing him was more of an extra, unneeded precaution. More like an extra kindness," said Selstun. "He was destined to fail anyhow."

"You're a murderer," accused Creston. "I've got no choice but to hand you to the authorities."

"You're one to talk, murderer," shot back Selstun.

Creston visibly flinched. "I am not a killer."

"We both don't believe that."

Creston struggled to say something in reply, but he couldn't. He looked away, guilt radiating off of him. Lianora looked at him expectantly.

"And we both know that I will never let myself get arrested," said Selstun. "You'll just have to kill me Creston. Go on Creston; you've killed once before. This should be an easy task for you."

"I won't. I'm a better man than you," growled Creston. "Actually, no. I'm a man, but I'm not so sure about you anymore."

"I am stronger than you'll ever be," hissed his father in reply.

"You're mad!" shouted Creston. "Don't you get it?! You've let power and delusions of grandeur corrupt you! Do you honestly think the Lich King will make everyone like you? That's insane!"

"LIES!"

"You're old experiments failed! You and I both know that! What makes you think this one will succeed?!"

"SILENCE!" roared Selstun, raising his staff (which now had a skull on it, Creston noted). "I will be the savior of all of our villages. Together, the tribes and the monsters will live in peace…except for you Creston. You won't get to experience such joy."

"Why's that?" asked Creston.

"I'm going to kill you," was the answer he received.

"I won't let you do this," growled Creston. "Lia, back away. You can't fight him."

"And you can Creston?" whispered Selstun, his red eye staring at Creston intensely. "You'll kill your own father?"

"I'll do what I have to," answered Creston. But deep down, he was uncertain.

"Idiot!" shouted Selstun, his voice echoing throughout the dark city. "You come up here, thinking you can conquer me. And instead, I'll eliminate you!"

With a loud shout, Selstun aimed a fire spell at Creston. Creston braced himself and took the hit. Creston felt all of the wind leave him. His father had become unimaginably strong.

Selstun twirled his staff and launched another spell, this time a thunder spell. Creston dodged again, as lightning struck the spot where he had just been.

"Creston!" yelled Lianora, her heart beating fast. "I'll be right there!"

A fireball whooshed past her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Lia, stay there!" shouted Creston. "Only I can handle him now!"

"Wrong!" snarled Selstun. "Not even you can harm me now, Creston!"

Selstun used Firaga, and blazing flames erupted around Creston. The flames eventually blocked Lia's fellow Yuke from view.

Selstun stared at the flames with grim approval. "That was easy," he commented.

"Too easy," came a voice from behind him. Selstun whirled around to find Creston swinging his staff. Selstun staggered backwards, but was hit by a Blizzara blast before he could fire his own spell. Growling curses under his breath, Selstun aimed a golden spell at Creston. Creston froze completely.

"I'm coming, kupo!" yelled Mog, rushing in to defend his motionless friend. Selstun smacked him away with a bony hand.

"Stay out of this, furball!" he shouted. But Mog had achieved what he had wanted. Creston unfroze and hit his father with a Thundara spell. Selstun retaliated with a Blizzaga spell, lighting up the entire rooftop of the temple with a blue flash. Lianora shielded her eyes.

Creston had barely managed to avoid being frozen solid, by burning himself right before the spell hit. Creston looked for his father in the vivid blue light, but he couldn't locate the undead Yuke anywhere. He felt a heavy blow on his back, and turned around just to be hit over the head. Creston dropped to his knees and whacked his father in the shins with his staff. Selstun let out a grunt of pain, and kicked Creston away.

Selstun sneered at him. "Here's a surprise for you, _son_," he drawled, charging up his energy. He released it, and a meteor fell out of the sky and hit Creston where he lay.

"Creston!" shouted Lianora, running forward, but Selstun hit her away with a blizzard spell.

Creston was bleeding badly from his stomach. It seems his father had learned many a new trick from the king of this dead city.

Struggling, he got to his feet, and then he witnessed Lianora charging at Selstun again. Selstun blocked her attack with his staff and then smacked her helm.

Wait. Smacked her? He used his hand, not his staff.

Something angry and fiery emerged in Creston. Growing up, his mother had taught him to always be a gentleman; and smacking a lady was the biggest act of shame a gentleman could commit.

Yet something told him it was more than that. For some strange reason, although he didn't like seeing any of his friends get hurt, seeing Lia get hurt made his blood boil. Was this how Garrett felt every time he got angry?

It didn't matter. Creston felt all exhaustion vanish as he hit his father in the back with a slow spell. Selstun turned around, eyes widening. Creston was about to take the opportunity to heal himself, but a skeleton came out of nowhere and grabbed him by the arms. Selstun took this time to clear himself of his sluggish state.

"You didn't think I didn't have any backup, did you?" asked Selstun mockingly, kicking Creston in the stomach. Creston gasped out in pain. "You little fool- you truly are weak."

"Ugh…," groaned Creston, struggling to try and hit Selstun with his hammer. Selstun eyed him disdainfully.

"Maybe I'll just have to cut off your arms," remarked his father thoughtfully. "Then you couldn't perform magic…you'd be helpless…rip off the wings of a butterfly, and it's only a caterpillar."

Creston felt his heart thumping in fear. He was scared out of his wits.

"No!" came a scream from behind Selstun. Selstun turned around in shock.

"What-!?" he managed to get out, before being hit by a golden light. Lianora entered the fray, knocking Selstun's stopped body aside, before hitting the skeleton holding Creston with a well aimed fire spell.

"Are you alright?" she asked, helping Creston get steady on his feet (he was still trembling).

"I'm fine now," he confirmed. "But I don't think he's done yet."

"That would be the smartest thing you've said this whole time," came a menacing voice from behind them. Creston and Lia turned quickly to see Selstun aiming his staff at them.

"Burn," he whispered. The Firaga spell hit them at point blank range.

"Move, Creston!" yelled Lianora, pushing Creston. There was a red flash.

Creston was lying on his back when the flash cleared. He saw fire surrounding him, all around him. He got up onto his feet.

"Lia?" he called, staff in his hand. "Lia!"

Then he spotted her. She was lying on her stomach, unmoving. He rushed over. He heard a noise behind him, and turned quickly, but it was Mog flapping towards the two Yukes.

Creston turned to Lianora, and he felt a horrible sinking feeling. She had pushed him out of the way at the last second…and now.

Mog said the words for him. "Her wings…they've been burnt off…kupo…"

Lianora's wins were now burnt black stumps, and there were bad burns all along her back.

"Yes…," said Creston. "Damnit." He slammed a feathered fist to the ground, ignoring the flames around him. "I should have never brought her here!"

"Don't blame yourself." Lia's quiet voice calmly broke Creston's ranting. "It was my choice Creston."

She struggled to sit up. "Are you mad!?" demanded Creston. "You've just lost both of your wings, and you still want to fight?"

"I have to," she said, coughing.

"No," refused Creston, shaking his head. "Mog, guard her."

Something had changed in Creston's voice. His voice had hardened a great deal, and Lianora could sense great fear behind it...uncertainty. Yet there was the old, original Creston…calm, calculated, and determined. This both relieved Lia…and worried her. Why was he acting so final?

Raising his staff, he used Blizzaga to clear the flames, and cured Lianora. That was probably the last cure spell he would be able to manage for now- they took too much time. Selstun stood a few meters away, watching him scornfully.

"So you managed to save a pet and a Yuke girl," he remarked. "You must think of yourself as a great hero."

"Enough talk," replied Creston. "You want to finish this. Let us."

Selstun ran forward, hitting Creston with a fire spell. He swung his weapon at his son, but to his astonishment, Creston tripped him. Selstun fell, and then Creston beat him with his hammer. Selstun rolled away, and aimed a curse spell at Creston. It hit Creston as the Yuke swung his hammer at Selstun. Selstun smirked behind his helm. This blow wouldn't even hurt him now that Creston had been cursed.

Creston didn't even try to use clear on himself. He swung the weapon down onto Selstun's head. Selstun's red eye widened at the pain of the blow. Creston had been cursed! He shouldn't be THIS strong!

Selstun moved away, and THEN Creston cast clear on himself. Creston stared at his evil father, calmly and without fear. Selstun glared at him with hatred.

"I don't want to kill you," said Creston. "I'll give you one last chance, father."

"No!" snarled Selstun, blood trickling out of his helm. "I've come too far…it was destined to be like this…fate."

"So be it," said Creston.

Lianora watched the two Yukes run straight at each other. Staffs banged together as father and son dueled each other. Great flames soared through the air, cold blizzards blew across the temple, and thunder crackled in the air. Gravity spells, curse spells, slow spells, and even the occasional stop spell…they were all there. It was a magnificent battle.

Creston knocked his father away with holy, although he was hit by blizzard in the process. Selstun gasped for breath. Creston's holy spell had damaged him greatly.

"You can't be my equal!" roared Selstun, swinging his staff and knocking Creston upside the head. Creston keeled over, but got back up on his feet, quick as a flash.

"You're right- I'm much stronger than you, now!" replied Creston, sending a thundara spell at Selstun. Selstun countered the blow with a fast fire spell, but stumbled over. Creston took this opportunity to hit him with another holy spell. Selstun was knocked away even further, and his staff was lying next to him. Creston stood over him, staff pointed directly at the undead Yuke's heart.

"It is over father," said Creston, his voice still calm. "You're done. We're done."

"Then end it," spat Selstun. Creston's hand twitched, but he did not move.

"You won't…you'll never do it…," taunted Selstun. "You know that there's no point in killing me, Creston. There will be others like me. Killing me won't undo the things you and I have done."

Creston continued to stare at him, his hand trembling now. Could he really go through with it?

"What will killing me do?" continued Selstun. "Bring back your mother, and my wife? We all know it's your fault she's dead, right?"

Creston stiffened, and his hand started trembling worse than ever. Selstun had him now. He inched his hand towards his staff.

"Do you want to be responsible for the deaths of both your parents?" asked Selstun, his voice little more than a whisper. Lianora saw it. Selstun's fingers were pulling his staff gently towards him. She tried to get up and attack, but her burns made it too painful for her to move.

"Creston, watch out!" she cried at the top of her lungs.

"What?" exclaimed Creston, glancing at her for a minute.

"TOO LATE!" shouted Selstun, quickly grabbing his staff. He fired a stop spell straight at Creston's heart. Creston was blasted off his feet, and fell on his back. He didn't get up.

Selstun struggled to stand, his legs wobbling. He was panting at the effort of standing.

"It seems that my predictions are more often right than wrong," said Selstun, staring at the motionless Creston. Lianora stared in horror.

'_It hadn't happened…it could not have happened…'_

Selstun began to laugh. Lianora wanted to cover her ears. Creston's heart hadn't stopped…it couldn't have…

* * *

_Creston opened his eyes. He looked around. He was standing in front of his house in Tipa._

"_Where am I?" he asked, looking around._

"_In a place that you will not remain for long," answered a female voice._

_Creston looked over towards his house. There, he saw a Yuke, beautiful by Yuke standards, walking down the stairs towards him. Creston was lying on his back, and she knelt beside him. It was Alyra, Creston's mother._

"_Mother," he said. "What happened? Am I…"_

"_Dead?" finished his mother, laughing at him a little. "Not yet Creston- you still have a lot of time left to live."_

"_So…when am I going to go back?" he asked, staring up at her._

"_In a moment…I just wanted to give you a quick message before you go."_

"_Which is?"_

"_Creston…it is not your fault that I died. I know the guilt has been haunting you for ages, but you are not to blame."_

"_But-"_

"_But nothing. You did nothing wrong. You must let go of the past. Look to your future…after all, there is someone who wants to spend it with you."_

"…_alright."_

"_It is time for you to go back, Creston. Go, and confront your fears."_

"_Mother…what if I fail?" asked Creston._

"_Believe in yourself, Creston. You are far stronger than you think. It is time for you to go back. Farewell…"_

"_Farewell, mother," whispered Creston, as he closed his eyes again._

* * *

Selstun's maniacal laughter echoed off the walls of the undead village, sounding quite mad. He continued to cackle, but a voice interrupted him.

"You should save your laughs until after you've won," said the voice.

Selstun's laughter died instantly. He stared in disbelief as, slowly, Creston made his way to his feet. He stood up straight, and stared at his father without fear. Lianora's heart leapt. He was alive!

"Creston!" she shouted, ecstatic.

"Lia, stay there…I need to end this…I have to end this…," answered Creston.

"How…I stopped your heart…I killed you," blustered Selstun, appalled.

"You forget…a stop spell is only temporary…so you only stopped my heart, and killed me, for a set amount of time," answered Creston. "Funny how things work, hmm?"

"It matters not," said Selstun, regaining his composure. "I will not make the mistake in letting you live again. This time, you really will die."

"No, Selstun," said Creston, using his first name. "You're going to die…and you won't be remembered as a hero. You'll be remembered as a madman, a failure, and murderer. Your attempts to find a way to stop miasma has failed…and so have you. What do you have left, Selstun? Nothing…except to die."

"And you're going to kill me?" questioned Selstun.

"I have to," answered Creston simply. "It has to be me."

"You think you're clever words mean anything?!" asked Selstun. "That's all you've ever had, Creston! A slick, smart tongue, and nothing more! You won't ever be able to defeat me because you are weak! You can't kill me! I'm your father!"

With a loud shout, he ran straight at Creston, his staff raised as he prepared to make a final hit and end his son's life.

Creston raised a hand slowly.

"No...you're not my father anymore," said Creston quietly.

A large white light emerged from Creston's hand, as a holy spell was shot straight at Selstun. The Yuke necromancer was hit straight in the chest, and was knocked off of his feet like Creston had been before. He flew through the air, and landed straight on his back. He did not move. He did not breathe. The glow red eye within his helm finally faded. Selstun was dead. Creston heard his voice on the wind.

'_We'll meet again, my son. We'll meet again…'_

'_Not for a long time,' _thought Creston in reply.

Creston dropped to his knees, and let out a sigh. Lianora got to her feet, and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him. Mog flew over and floated above them.

"Creston!" she shouted.

"Hey, hey, not so hard!" he replied, wincing. "That hurts!"

"Oh…sorry…," answered Lianora. Creston was still staring at his dead father.

"It's over now Creston…you did it…you killed Selstun."

"My own father…I don't think this is something I should be happy about," responded the male Yuke.

"But I thought you said he wasn't-"

"No," said Creston, shaking his head. "I think he will always be my father, no matter how much I wish it wasn't true."

"Well…it's over, and now you're rid of him," pressed Lianora.

"I don't think I'll ever be rid of him, in all honesty," said Creston, still staring at his father's corpse. "He and I both knew that…there'll always be a little shadow in my brain caused by him."

They were silent for a moment. Lianora broke the quiet atmosphere.

"Creston…I need to know…what happened between you and your father…and what happened to your mother?"

Creston looked up with a sigh.

"I'll tell you. But for now, let us rest. I'll tell on our way to the myrrh tree."

They rested for a while and Creston nursed the injuries of the three travelers. Eventually they got up, and headed for the doorway to the temple. Of course, they had to move all the way back through the city, so it would take some time.

"All right…so here's how it all began…"

* * *

And…we're done. I have a feeling many people are going to love this chapter as much as I did.

Favorite Parts: Selstun vs. Creston, Creston's vision with his mom, and Creston hearing Selstun's last words in his head.

So now Selstun is dead. Creston should be at peace, but he probably will never forget what his father has done.

Lianora lost her wings. Originally, Creston was going to lose an arm, but Ray lost an eye, and he and Creston are too similar, not to mention the fact that they've both stolen the show for a while. So Lianora took the hit instead, losing her lovely little birdie wings.

Selstun's goal was the same as De Nam's: to find a way for people to survive in miasma. And yes, although this didn't happen in the game, Selstun was responsible for the death of De Nam.

Selstun eventually started to get too obsessed with his experiments…which led to some strange things…but all will be revealed next chapter, okay?

As for next chapter, it's going to be in flashback form…Creston's recollections of the past, from Creston's point of view.

Next Chapter: Creston delves into his memories of the past as he finally reveals what has happened between him and his father. What will be Lianora's reaction? And what is the future for both of the Yukes?

Firetooth: Hey, it's me! You probably don't remember me, because I died quickly, but I was a recurring monster, so I get to do a review request! Review, everyone! Do it! GAHAHAHAHA!


	59. Creston's Tale

Hello, hello! Time for a long awaited chapter.

This chapter tells the story of Creston's past, which everyone has been waiting for…it is told in flashback format, so we're going to view it from Creston's point of view.

Uh…that's about it…everyone just wants me to stop typing these author's notes and get on with the chapter. XD

So I will! –Drives down memory lane and finds the chapter-

* * *

"_Creston, can you come help me for a second?"_

_The five-year old Creston looked up from his drawings. Quickly, he moved down towards the kitchen to find his mother, Alyra, putting away food._

"_Thank you, honey," said Alyra, after they had finished. She pulled Creston into a warm embrace._

"_Mother…," began Creston. Alyra looked at him, nodding for him to continue. "Why doesn't father ever help us with the work around the house?"_

_Breathing in a great sigh, Alyra pulled Creston closer. "Your father is a very busy man…he takes great pride in his research…it's very important to him. But we manage fine, right?"_

_Creston nodded. Alyra smiled at him._

"_Here…I'll make us some cookies. Would you like to help?"_

"_Sure…okay…"_

* * *

_Later on, Selstun emerged from the laboratory in the basement of the house. Creston had been sitting on the couch, waiting for him. He wasn't allowed to work in the labs just yet…perhaps in a year or two._

"_Father, father!" exclaimed Creston. Selstun looked around for a moment, then noticed his son._

"_Oh, hello Creston…," he said. "What is it?"_

"_I drew a picture for you," responded Creston, holding up his drawing. Selstun took the paper and looked at it briefly._

"_Three trees…very nice," he commented, handing Creston back his drawing. His father than walked into the next room to talk with Alyra._

_Creston was crestfallen. "Father…it wasn't three trees…it was me, you, and mother…"_

* * *

"_Mother…does father love me?" asked Creston, now a little older._

_Alyra looked up from her sewing, and stared at Creston in surprise._

"_Of course he loves you Creston…he may be distant, but he loves you…you're his son, after all."_

"_Yeah…I guess you're right…," agreed Creston quietly._

_But now that he had thought about it, he realized that his father had never called Creston his son. Not even once._

* * *

_Creston sat by the window, a book in his hand. There had just been a festival two nights ago._

_He looked outside, seeing two Selkie children playing catch with a striped apple. A boy and a girl, both with bandannas on their heads. However, the boy caught the striped apple and bit into it. The girl hit him playfully, and they both laughed. Their parents ran over and hugged them, laughing as well._

_Further off, he saw an even younger girl, a Clavat, being held closely by her father after she tripped and scraped her knee. Creston watched the father soothe his daughter enviously._

_Creston's father never held him._

_Creston tried not to be jealous, but he couldn't help it as he stared at the young children being embraced by their parents._

_His father had never hugged him. And that wasn't going to change anytime soon._

* * *

"_Are you insane!? Think of how far we've come!"_

"_Selstun, I know your research is important to you! But think of your family! You're tearing us apart!"_

"_Rubbish!"_

_Creston sat upstairs in his room, tossing a magicite orb up and down. They were fighting again._

_His parents had started fighting on weekly basis. It had started when Alyra had burnt her hands badly in the labs, but Selstun had been too busy writing down his test results to help. He had only helped her after he had recorded everything._

_The voices grew lower. Creston could barely hear them. He walked over to a small rug and lifted it up. Beneath the carpet was a small listening hole. Creston would listen to what his parents said to each other. When Creston thought it was getting to be too much, he would go downstairs and ask for a glass of milk, stopping the arguing temporarily._

_Creston often battled with himself about his eavesdropping. But he only did it to stop his parents from fighting. There was nothing wrong with that right._

_Creston was just in time to hear the end of the argument._

"_Think of your son! Think of all of the things you can do for him!"_

_Creston missed his father's reply. He then heard a chair being moved, and someone walking upstairs. Creston acted quickly, concealing the hole. He dimmed the lights and rolled the magicite under his bed, while diving under the covers. Moments later, Alyra opened the door. She stared at him fondly for a moment, then closed the door._

_She had thought he was asleep. But Creston wouldn't fall asleep for the whole night._

* * *

"_How much longer?" asked Alyra, sitting on the bed, while Selstun wrote down in his journal._

"_What do you mean?" he asked, seemingly indifferent as his hand continued to jot down notes. Alyra folded her arms._

"_Your research. This whole little project of yours. If you're going to discover a way to make it so that people can move in miasma freely, do it soon."_

"_Well…I'm sorry, but it would be a lot easier if I actually had a test subject!" retorted Selstun, annoyed._

"_Then go out! Capture a monster. I know you're capable, in your past-," began Alyra, but Selstun shushed her._

"_You and I both know I can't do that."_

"_Why not?!" demanded Alyra. Selstun gave her a scornful look._

"_Smuggling a monster into Tipa? We'd be chased out of town. If you want your son to be living life on the run-"_

"_He's your son, too!" shot back Alyra hotly. "Sometimes I think you forget that, along with the commitments you made!"_

_Selstun just snorted, and continued writing. Alyra watched him, anger battling with sorrow. Then an idea popped into her brain. But…surely it was too dangerous. And yet…it could solve all of their problems._

"_Selstun…"_

"_What is it now, Alyra?"_

"_I'll be your test subject."_

_Creston listened at the door. A test subject for what?_

* * *

_Creston knew something was wrong. Every day, Alyra and Selstun would head down into the labs. And every day, Alyra would emerge from the basement, exhausted and sickly. Selstun would seem to be fine._

_Alyra had also started to become more negligent. Creston had started doing the laundry and cooking some meals because his mother had become too tired to do it herself._

_Creston worried in silence. He wanted answers. He NEEDED answers. But how…?_

_He got his chance when he turned seven._

_Selstun offered for him to go and work with his family in the labs._

_And Creston accepted._

* * *

_His first day didn't go so well._

_He had broken some test tubes, and he lost an important sample of something. Selstun had been furious, and had whacked him upside the head._

_However, Creston wasn't worried about his father's anger._

_He was worried about something else._

_He had finally seen what his mother and father were doing in the basement._

_The lab was large and dark. There were many desks and tables, all of which were cluttered with data, folders, recording, and test samples. But the strangest thing was that the there was another room down in the lab. It was see through, and could only be opened from the outside._

_Creston saw his mother enter the room, holding a syringe in her hand. Selstun locked the door behind Alyra. Alyra stood in the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and injected herself with an unknown substance._

_The effects were almost immediate. Alyra groaned, and her legs shook, as she clutched her stomach and dropped to her knees. Creston had told his father to go into the room and help her, but Selstun said that he couldn't. Creston then asked what she had injected herself with._

"_Miasma," responded Selstun._

* * *

_Things gradually got worse._

_Creston had been forced to watch his mother go through horrifying trials of pain. Before he knew it, he was witnessing his mother eat food boiled in miasma water, drink miasma tainted water in a cup, be injected with monster blood, and be forced to breath in miasma tainted air. And every time she successfully survived through one experiment, Selstun would add more to it. At first, Alyra only had to drink half a cup of miasma water. Now, she was up to three cups._

_She was changing in spirit, too. Although she still fought with Selstun on occasion, she nearly always lost now. Her mood had become depressed and melancholy. Although she was warm towards Creston, her son could sense her pain. Creston was worried about her._

_But then came a day where Alyra grew ill. Some days she would be bedridden. However, Selstun could not afford to fall behind on his research. But what could he do?_

_The answer came to him quickly. And one day, he told Creston to take a syringe of miasma, and enter the room._

_Creston was scared. "But…but father…I don't want to."_

"_You'll do as your father tells you," said Selstun sternly._

"_But I- no…," protested Creston._

"_You'll do it!" growled Selstun, temper rising._

"_No!" wailed Creston._

_He could barely remember what happened next. All he remembered is that he wound up in the glass room with a syringe and a bad burn on one of his arms._

* * *

_Now both Creston and Alyra were being used as guinea pigs, while Selstun would record the effects._

_Creston felt sickly. He was growing more sluggish and more exhausted each day. He and his mother would take turns on going into the testing room. Well, at least Alyra went in without a fight._

_Creston would hide, find something else to do, and try to do ANYTHING to avoid the testing room. But his father always found him, and gave him a beating to remind Creston that HE was in charge._

_Under his clothes, Creston's body was covered in many bruises, burns, and scars. Creston would usually spend nights crying himself to sleep. But most of the time, his injuries kept him awake._

_The villagers had started gossiping about what went on in the alchemist's home. Eventually, Roland questioned Selstun about it. Selstun replied by saying that his wife was seriously ill, and that she couldn't leave the house. Roland asked about Creston, for Creston would often go and buy food for his family, and run other errands. Selstun told him that Creston had contracted the disease as well, and that Selstun had quarantined him for the time being. He was never questioned again, and no one would come looking for Alyra and Creston._

_Eventually, Creston too lost his spirit. He began to bend to his father's will, doing everything and believing everything his father told him._

_Selstun recognized this dominance and control, and made note of it. Creston could be easily used later…_

* * *

_Creston had been sleeping peacefully, which was rare, but he was woken by a loud shout from downstairs. Scrambling out of his bed, he moved quietly over to his listening hole._

"_Are you crazy!? I can't do that!"_

"_Alyra, think! If you can conquer this last experiment, everything will be a success!"_

"_But I won't…I can barely handle it right now, but if you increase the amount THAT much-"_

"_Trust me…I haven't let either you or Creston down yet, have?"_

"_I don't care, Selstun. I forbid you to do that experiment on me. Or Creston- don't even think about using my son in my place."_

"_Your __son?"_

"_Selstun, you have never remotely acted like a father towards him! Now I'm going to bed. Forget these grandeurs of yours. I am NOT performing that experiment."_

_Creston heard his mother stomp up the stairs, and he quickly covered the hole, and went back in his bed. Alyra peeked in for a moment, then shut the door without a word._

_Creston would be awake all night, pondering. He was anxious to see what would happen tomorrow. What experiment was Selstun thinking of?_

* * *

_The next day, it happened._

_It had started off normal enough. A quick breakfast, a quicker shower, and then the three Yukes headed down to the basement._

_It was Alyra's turn to enter the glass room. She was eyeing Selstun warily, but he gave her a syringe filled with miasma. Despite Creston's fears, Alyra seemed relieved. Whatever the experiment was, this wasn't it._

_Alyra entered the glass room, and was about to stab herself with the syringe. But before she did it, she looked at Selstun. She noticed his hand near a lever. Alyra felt her heart clench in fear. Selstun pulled the lever._

_It happened immediately. Miasma-tainted gas started to fill up the glass room. Creston watched on, curious. They had done this experiment before…but there was a larger amount of gas flooding the room._

_Alyra panicked and banged on the glass window. "Selstun! I told you no!"_

_But if Selstun heard her, he kept it quiet. He simply recorded notes, while Alyra suffocated._

_Creston looked on fearfully. He was afraid for his mother, and wanted to help, but…memories of Selstun's beatings came flooding back to him._

_Selstun looked up just as Alyra dropped to her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Shocked, the older Yuke pulled the lever. The gas stopped flooding the room. Selstun pulled another lever and the gas was slowly vacuumed out._

_Selstun looked around from the outside, not daring to go inside the room. Where was Alyra?_

_Eventually the gas cleared. Selstun and Creston stared inside. And there was Alyra, lying dead on the floor._

_Silence. Creston was crying silently, tears pouring down his helm. Selstun turned to face him._

"_This is all of your fault," he said coldly._

"_M-my fault?" asked Creston._

"_She needn't have died!" yelled Selstun. "How could you do this!?"_

"_But…but you flooded the room with gas!" blustered Creston. "And she told you not to!"_

"_How do you know this?" asked Selstun, glaring at him._

"_I heard you last night!"_

"_Well…after we went to bed, she told me that she was okay with the experiment…," lied Selstun smoothly._

"_Liar!" shouted Creston._

"_Oh, really?" asked Selstun, his voice cruel. "And who do you think they'll believe? Me, or a brat who let his mother die?"_

"_I didn't-," began Creston, but Selstun overrode him._

"_You just let her die in there! I was busy taking notes for a second. But you…you could've opened the door and let her out…but no…you just stood there and watch!"_

"_No…," moaned Creston._

"_Yes!" shouted Selstun accusingly. "You're a murderer, Creston. A murderer!"_

_Creston just remembered hearing those last words, before it all went black._

* * *

_Selstun couldn't hide his family any longer. With the death of his wife, he finally had to take her body out of the house, in order to give a funeral._

_The entire village of Tipa was devastated. Alyra had been very popular, after all. Roland comforted Selstun, who seemed to be emotionally destroyed. But only Creston knew the truth; Selstun was a very good actor._

"_She was getting better…," said Selstun, beside himself with sorrow. "She shouldn't have died!"_

"_But if she was almost better, how did she die?" asked Roland._

"_Creston…Creston gave her the wrong thing. He was supposed to give her some medicine, but he actually gave her something lethal…," explained Selstun._

_Gasps of shock were heard from all around._

"_Do you hear that, mum?" exclaimed a young Ray. "Someone got killed!"_

"_Hush!" she whispered, whacking him over the head._

"_I have no choice," said Selstun, suddenly standing up. "I refuse to raise a son who killed his own mother. Creston, you are no longer a part of my family. I'm sorry, Roland, but I am leaving at once."_

_No one tried to stop Selstun from leaving. They didn't think he'd truly leave his only child behind. Everyone figured that the Yuke would just take a short vacation and grieve for his wife alone. They were all wrong. Selstun left the village, and never returned._

* * *

_Creston was shunned by everyone, except for Roland. Everyone else in the village believed that Creston was dangerous. One day, Roland found Creston sitting by his mother's grave behind his house._

"_May I join you?" the village elder asked. Creston thought for a moment, then nodded._

"_How are you doing?" asked the elderly Clavat, smiling at the Yuke child. Creston looked down at his feet._

"_I'm…I'm doing okay," responded Creston shakily. Roland sighed._

"_Creston…I'll be honest with you. I've never completely trusted your father, ever since I brought him to the village when he was young. As hard as this may be…will you tell me your side of the story?"_

_Creston looked up at him, astonished. Someone actually wanted to hear what he had to say?_

"_It's…it's really complicated…but I didn't kill my mother…it's just…I think it's my fault that she died," whispered Creston. Roland patted him on the shoulder sympathetically._

"_Well…I understand if you don't want to discuss it. But if you ever need someone to talk to, my wife and I are next door. You can come around for dinner, sometimes."_

"_Thanks…I'd like that."_

_Roland left him alone. Creston looked up at the sky._

_Roland had always been kind to him. Was that what a father should be like?_

_Creston just sat by the grave for the rest of the night._

* * *

_Creston heard a knock on his door. He opened it up to find a young Selkie standing there._

"_Hey," said a young Star. A young Ray sat behind her on the steps. "Uh…we were playing catch with a ball, and it landed behind your house. Can you get it for us?"_

_Ray let out a snort. "I still don't see why you wouldn't let me swipe it back without him knowing."_

"_Because that's rude, Ray!" said Star indignantly._

_Creston nodded to her. He went and got the ball, and handed it to the young girl._

"_Thanks! Hey listen, do you want to play?" asked Star._

_Creston nodded, and went to put on a coat. For once, someone wasn't looking at him with uneasiness or hate._

_Things may just get better after all._

* * *

_They didn't._

_Ray's parents had gone missing, and eventually he stopped playing around with Star and Creston, spending more time with his sister. Star, meanwhile, had been forced to stop playing with Creston by her parents. Creston had been in a fight with Star's brother, Rex. Rex had lied to his parents, saying that Creston started it, and Star's parents believed him._

_However, it all came out later. Some time later, a tearful Star knocked on his door, telling Creston that her brother Rex, who had left on the caravan, had been running a black market of myrrh. Creston helped comfort her. Eventually, after thanking him, she left._

_Creston tried not to make a sarcastic remark. She thought she had it tough? At least it wasn't her fault that Rex caused the underground myrrh trade._

_But then again…was it Creston's fault for happened to his mother?_

_Creston shook away these thoughts. It was all of his fault…his mother was dead because he couldn't stand up to his father. He was alone because he couldn't stand up to Rex._

_Creston looked at his mother's grave._

"_Mother…," he said. "I've decided…I'm going join the Tipa caravan, and become strong…that way, something like this will never happen again."_

_Creston sat by the grave the entire night, and he heard his mother's gentle voice on the wind._

"_Make me proud, Creston."_

_Creston nodded, and then went to bed. He had a lot of training to do the next day._

* * *

"Well…that's just about it," said Creston, sitting on the steps that led up to the temple.

Lianora sat beside him. And finally, she understood.

Creston's distance…his fear of getting close to people…it wasn't because he didn't like them, but because he felt that he couldn't protect them.

His sarcasm…he was harsh on people because he didn't want them to make mistakes like he did.

His determination…he, like Star, was determined to undo the crimes of his father.

"Creston…," said Lianora, her eyes slightly teary at Creston's revelations.

"Well…I suppose I can admit it now…I've realized that it isn't my fault…none of it ever was," said Creston. "I'm relieved…I can finally let go of the past. Well, almost all of it. I doubt I'll ever forget what my father has done. It's going to take a while to get over, though."

Lianora grabbed his hand in hers. "I'll help you, every step of the way," she promised.

Creston looked at her, shocked. "There's no need for that. Why would you offer to help me? I've done nothing but push you away."

"You did it out of care," said Lianora. "You didn't want me to get hurt. You did it to protect me."

Creston was silent.

"And I knew that," said Lianora. "At first I was hurt, but I figured it out, Creston. And do you know why I didn't leave you alone, why I didn't stop trying to help, why I kept coming back after I pushed you away?"

Creston looked over at her, someone fearful.

"It's because I care about you, Creston. More than friends. I care about you much more than any of the others. I love you, Creston."

And somehow, with Lianora admitting her love for him, all of the dark clouds in Creston's thoughts instantly cleared.

"I suppose I never realized," he whispered. "I love you too, Lia. I've been too busy living in the past to realize what was right in front of me."

"Well…let's not focus on the past…think about how you're going to spend the future," said Lianora affectionately, standing up. She held out a hand to Creston. "Would you like to spend it with me?"

Creston stared at her hand, and grasped it tightly, feeling all of the warmth and love she held for him, as he stood up.

"I'd like that very much…now let's go…we have a myrrh tree to find."

* * *

Finis! Hoorah!

Favorite Parts: The entire chapter. Creston's tale and his getting together with Lia.

So I'll explain some of the plot holes in Creston's story.

Selstun wanted to create a way for people to be able to live in miasma. But he needed a test subject. Alyra, wanting to speed up the research and restore her family's bonds, as well as prevent Creston from being used, offered herself.

Selstun's final experiment on Alyra, was to completely flood the glass room with miasma. Alyra did not want this, thinking it was too dangerous. She was right; but Selstun refused to listen, with Selstun causing her death.

Creston believes himself to be guilty for the same reasons as Ray: he feels as if he could've prevented Alyra's death. However, Selstun mentally tormented Creston, lying and deceiving him so Creston truly believed it was his fault. In Chapter 24, Creston says Ray has survivor's guilt. Mika tells Creston that he sounds like he knows from experience, in which Creston responds "I do."

You'll notice that Star, Ray, and Creston hung out together as kids, so they know the whole "Rex" scenario (and it's hard to believe that none of the caravanners knew each other). However, they knew each other at one point, and were friends. However, they were all separated by Ray's parents disappearance, and Rex's fight with Creston respectively.

There are some plot holes in Creston's tale, BUT I am planning on addressing those in an extra story once this story is over: The Rise of Selstun. It explains everything from SELSTUN'S point of view.

And finally (long author's note), Creston and Lianora are together. Now that Creston's father is gone, Creston can finally see Lianora's feelings for him, and he's finally able to return them. They are a couple! Hoorah! Interestingly, they are the only couple to get together BEFORE a boss fight in their "getting-together-level."

Next Chapter: Despite the victory over Selstun, Creston and Lianora still have to defeat the mighty Lich. But seeing how they've been injured by Creston's father, will they be able to defeat the undead magician without their friends? And what does the Lich know about Raem?

Knifeface: Me and Ragebreath are reviewing this time.

Ragebreath: -nods vigorously-

Knifeface: Yes…so…please review, everyone…or we'll have to kill you in your sleep.

Star: He doesn't mean that, everyone!

Knifeface: What are you- GET OUT OF HERE! THIS IS MY REVIEW REQUEST!

Star: But you can't threaten-

Knifeface: Get out, get out, GET OUT!


	60. Monsters, Miasma, and Myrrh

-hops out of a magical box of wonders- Hello, hello! Welcome to the 60th chapter. Hurrah!

This chapter…Lich battle…and FINALLY. The explanation on the monsters need myrrh/monsters don't need myrrh scenario…courtesy of the Lich.

Make note of the fact that although the Lich is a woman in Ring of Fates, the one in the original Crystal Chronicles is a male (it says so in the journal entry).

And there be Yuke fluff. Thank me now, Creston fans.

Creston: I don't know why I'm the most popular…but at least I beat Garrett. :D

Garrett: Jerk. _

Anyways, we have officially run out of ways to start the chapter in fancy ways…so I'm just gonna say…START READING, SLAVES!

* * *

Creston stepped inside of the ancient temple quietly. He checked around, to make sure the coast was clear, and then motioned for Lianora to follow him, carrying the chalice (Mog had gotten tired). Mog floated in behind her

"Quiet…we don't even know where the myrrh tree is…let alone, the ruler of this undead village," cautioned Creston. Mog and Lia nodded.

They turned around another hallway, and found a staircase. There were no railings, so they had to be careful not to fall over. The two Yukes slowly descended the stairs, and stepped onto the floor below. They continued forward into a new room, where there were two pedestals with spheres on them, but then they both stopped dead.

Floating before them, up above them, was a strange, ghostly being. It had golden armor, and was dressed in a red cloak. It had a golden mask, with a red feather…or ponytail, of some sorts, sticking out from behind its head. It was glowing with the similar energy of all undead monsters.

It stared down at them, as if analyzing them, studying them intently. Then it spoke.

"Welcome, caravanners of Tipa," said the large monster. "I am the Lich King, the ruler of Rebena Te Ra. I am impressed at the fact that you have come this far."

"Um…thank you?" responded Lianora, a little confused. He wasn't trying to kill them immediately? But she remembered something Garrett had said about the Iron Giant; apparently, the strongest monsters loved to give a speech before the battle.

"Be on guard, Creston," she whispered. He nodded.

"So. Congratulations on getting past all of my tricks, traps, and puzzles," continued the Lich. "I'm also very surprised at how well you managed to defeat my forces…and your defeat of Selstun was very stunning. Well done, Creston and Lianora, well done."

"Y-you know our names?" asked Creston.

"How?" questioned Lia, her voice sharp.

The Lich made a gesture behind him. There was a large vortex. "I can stare into this portal behind me, and see anything that goes on in this entire city. So naturally, once you came in, I decided to monitor your progress. Creston, your defeat of your father was rather brilliant, although I knew he wouldn't last long."

"…how did you meet my father?" asked Creston, curiously.

"He came not too long ago," answered the Lich, striking a thoughtful pose. "He asked for me to teach him my secrets, and in return, he offered himself as a servant in my empire…granted, a more powerful servant, but a servant, nevertheless."

"So that's why he appeared all…skeletal and bony," remarked Lianora.

"Yes…those who enter my service to not retain, how you say…a pleasant appearance," commented the Lich with a grim chuckle.

"Why are you answering all of our questions?" asked Creston.

"Seeing how you got through the entire area, pressed the switch, and made it back, I figure I'll answer any question that you ask…oh, unless I don't know it. But that's unlikely."

"So…more about my father, please," said Creston.

"Well, I knew he wouldn't last," continued the undead mage. "Your kind are not suited for our style of life…he was a ticking time bomb, and you were the detonator."

"I see…so, why even offer him a chance to be your general?" asked Lianora.

"I didn't see why not…I mean, instead of having my soldiers reporting to me constantly, someone else can deal with them for a change…," mused the Lich aloud. "I don't particularly enjoy dealing with whining, skeletal minions all of the time. It can be a bit wearing."

"All right then…kupo," muttered Mog.

"Anything else you'd like to ask me?" asked the Lich himself.

Creston was about to say no, but he suddenly remembered; why is that some monsters said they needed myrrh, and others didn't?

"We've heard things from monsters…," began Creston. "Some, like the Goblin King, said monsters need myrrh, but others like the Dragon Zombie say they do not. Can you explain this to us?"

"Of course I can," responded the Lich. He thought about what words he used, then began to speak.

"Figuratively, we need myrrh- but in actuality, we do not require myrrh tree to survive."

"Then…why do you need a myrrh tree?" asked Lianora.

"Well, to be simply put, we only need to GUARD the myrrh tree- it is our job to prevent the likes of you to from acquiring it," explained the Lich.

"Why don't you want us to take myrrh from the trees?" asked Creston, as Lianora gave him an excited look. They were getting answers at last.

"It is not what I want; it is what Raem wants. I'm sure you know about him by now, seeing how you've seen the Dragon Zombie- he likes a good conversation before a battle. Pardon me for straying off topic, but how is he?"

"Well…he's no longer an undead…but just a dead," answered Lianora.

"Really?" asked the Lich, a tad bit shocked. "Then I must register my astonishment. I had no idea such an old and powerful being could be killed…not again, anyways."

"But let me continue to explain," said the undead mage. "Raem told me-"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Creston. "But how did Raem speak to you. Did you go to him?"

The Lich let out a small chuckle of amusement.

"Of course not- he is too difficult to reach, living in the Abyss that is on the other side of the Rebena Plains. I have only met him in person once- that is how I became what I am."

"What do you mean?" asked Lianora.

"When myrrh began to plague the world, Rebena Te Ra fell- I had hidden when the monsters invaded our village, but when Raem came to claim his prize…we talked. He had been impressed at my survival, but he was going to kill me and devour my memories."

"Memories?" asked Creston.

"Yes," said the Lich, nodding. "Raem has an undying hunger for memories…he uses memories to survive. He is the lord of all memories made, but he is rumored to have an equal…no one that I've met in person…or at all."

"Let me guess," said Creston. "Raem communicates with monsters through memories?"

"Yes…if I wished to send a message to the Goblin King…who is probably dead now…I would remember the message I wished to send. Raem would then take that memory and give it to the Goblin King, who would also give Raem a "memory message" to give to me."

"So how did you survive?" asked Lianora.

"I made a deal," said the Lich. "I would serve him for all eternity, do whatever he wished, so long as he did not kill me. Raem agreed, for he had found a loophole- he only "half-killed" me, and now I am a specter…a phantom. And so I, now free of a mortal lifespan, am truly bound to Raem forever."

"Why'd you make a deal then, kupo?" asked Mog.

"When you are about to die, you may do anything to survive, even though it may hurt you later," said the Lich.

Creston remembered Garrett saying how the lizardman, Snair, had eaten his comrades…maybe that's what the Lich meant. But would any of their friends go cannibalistic to live? With a shudder, he thought of Garrett licking Star's bones.

"So Raem uses memories to give to other monsters…but he also hungers for them," said Lia, nodding. "But why doesn't he eat the monsters' memories."

"Most monsters are too weak-minded to make a memory, let alone keep it and remember it," said the Lich. "Only the very strongest, or most intelligent monsters can do this successfully. Mainly, monsters like myself, the Dragon Zombie, the Orc King, Armstrong and the Iron Giant; the ones who are the very last obstacle between a caravan and myrrh tree. But even some monsters, like the Marlboros of Mushroom Forest, aren't smart enough."

"So…why doesn't he eat your memories?" asked Lianora again. He hadn't really answered the question.

"Are you going to eat the memories of your elite guards?" asked the Lich. "People are weaker if they don't have anything to remember. What if you forgot how to fight? How to cast magic? How to even move your arms and legs?"

"Good point," admitted Creston. The cogs and gears in the male Yuke's brain were turning now.

"So Raem only eats human memories…I'm guessing Raem told you to prevent caravans from getting to the tree, then?" asked Creston.

"Correct."

"Because if a village doesn't get myrrh in time, miasma will overrun the village…and once everyone is wiped out, Raem can take their memories, and satiate himself," said Creston.

The Lich almost smiled behind his golden, skull-like mask. Ah, this one was clever. Just as brilliant as Selstun himself.

"Yes and no," answered the Lich.

"Yes and no?" asked Creston, bewildered.

"Part of what you say is true," said the Lich. "But think- if we successfully prevented you from reaching myrrh…how could you have possibly survived all this time. What if all the villages died out?"

Creston was puzzled, but Lianora spoke up.

"Everyone would die, and Raem would gain everyone's memories…but his supply of memories would run out," answered Lianora.

"Exactly!" hissed the Lich. "Raem knows that he cannot prevent everyone from getting myrrh, or eventually there will be no memories to feast on!"

"So…why do monsters try to kill us?" asked Creston.

"Because…less intelligent monsters who can't think don't know this; they just follow their instincts. However, some fools like the Orc King truly believe they NEED myrrh to survive; if Raem told them that myrrh wasn't necessary for monsters to live, then would those monsters fight as hard to keep their myrrh? Of course not!"

"So…Raem tricked the Goblin King and Orc King?" asked Lianora.

"Yes…they were both rather weak myrrh tree guards…so when Raem told them they were fighting to survive, they both fought harder and stronger. Anyone will fight their hardest when their life is on the line."

"Both the Orc King and Goblin King believed that they need myrrh to survive, and so they fought harder…cruel, but brilliant," Creston remarked. "A very worthwhile lie."

"Indeed it is…and so we arrive at more intelligent monsters, such as myself, who were not tricked. What about us?"

"Most of us are smart enough not to kill every caravan that arrives…occasionally, some of us throw a fight and LET the caravanners take myrrh for their village…that way, they survive, and keep on living, as Raem continues to take memories."

"But…I thought Raem needed someone to be dead to take their memories," said Lianora, confused.

"No…once someone is dead, Raem takes ALL of their memories…like a feast. But…he can still take other memories that people have forgotten…we don't kill caravanners just to make Raem happy…we also kill them to cause-"

"Fear," finished Creston grimly.

"So let me get this straight…," said Lianora. "Raem lets some caravans get myrrh so they can live. However, he kills others to gain their memories, and causing a chain reaction, because when a caravanner dies, their fellow caravanners and members of their village become scared. Raem then eats their fear."

"Pretty much," agreed Raem.

"Why did Raem destroy Tida, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Sometimes we are defeated fair and square- no throwing fights at all," said the Lich. "When this happens, Raem gets angry…angry enough to wipe a village off this world."

"I know the stories of Tida say that the caravan was slaughtered," said the Lich. "But that is not the whole truth. They had killed the Lizardman King of long ago, and taken the myrrh. Raem was angry, as the Tida caravan was supposed to be killed in that battle in order to raise fright. He then ordered MY men to go and kill the Tida caravan the day before they returned to their village to give them myrrh. And thus, Tida did not have time to send out a second caravan, even though they didn't want to, and Raem destroyed the village."

"What are you saying?" asked Lianora.

"Well…let's just say none of the monster's you have fought have thrown the fight," answered the Lich. "After you had killed the Orc King, we were all ordered to kill you as quickly as possible. When Armstrong fell, Raem felt even more threatened. Raem ordered us eliminate you at all cost. The Lizardman King was especially determined- did you notice how their were Lizardmen stationed in many dungeons?"

"So…Raem has been trying to destroy Tipa in particular?" asked Lianora fearfully.

"Not just Tipa. Leuda and Shella are targets as well, although not so immediate as Tipa. Raem only needs the Fields of Fum, Marr's Pass, and Alfitaria to survive- the Fields of Fum will provide everyone with food, Marr's Pass will allow food and items to be traded to other people, and Alfitaria's high population will provide many memories for Raem to live on."

"Raem is aiming to destroy every village except for those three?" whispered Creston.

"Yes…and so I have answered your questions, and more," said the Lich. "Anything else?"

Creston felt his head hurt at all that had been revealed. Raem killed some for their memories, but others to cause fear and provide more memories- he ordered some monsters to throw fights so that the villages could survive, preserving more memories for the future. But sometimes when a monster was killed by a caravanner, and not the other way around, Raem became enraged and would take out that caravanner's village? And Tipa had been a target for years now?

So now they knew; although some monsters thought they needed myrrh to live, this was a lie. It wasn't needed, but the myrrh trees were needed to help the caravanners survive, thus allowing Raem to survive…for eternity.

"So…we are just surviving just because Raem needs us to?" asked Creston.

"That's it…you're like fleas clinging to the pelt of a mu- you're there, but the mu can knock you off at anytime," said the Lich. "Although you may not have to suffer much longer. Remember what I said- we've all been ordered to kill you…including myself."

"You're going to fight us?" asked Lianora.

"Yes…although I am sad to kill such brilliant minds. I myself was a Yuke long ago. But just like my old self, my sympathies for the tribes is long gone. It's time for you to die," said the Lich. "Let us begin."

The Lich let out a whistle, and there came loud footsteps behind them. Creston recognized another familiar face; Rearper the skeleton was stepping down the stone steps.

"You called for me, master?" he asked.

"Help me destroy these young travelers," demanded the Lich.

"As you wish, sir," said Rearper, eyes gleaming. "Sepulcherre and Sukull will both be avenged."

"Didn't you know?" asked Creston tauntingly. "They both got each other killed indirectly."

"But if you and your blasted father hadn't come along, they'd both be alive still!" shouted Rearper, running forward, swinging his cutlass. Creston moved backwards quickly. The blade swished through the air harmlessly.

"Fools," said the Lich. "You cannot match my might."

He raised his hand. Suddenly, Creston felt a crackle of energy, and looked over towards Lianora. A glowing orb of lightning appeared right behind her.

"Lia, move!" shouted Creston. Lianora nodded, and rolled away, as lightning burst from the ground. Lianora fled, but was still hit, dropping to her knees, paralyzed.

"Shoot!" muttered Creston, but all of a sudden, a meteor fell out of the sky in front of Creston, crushing the ground. Creston whipped his head towards the Lich.

"Not so fast, boy," rasped the Lich. Meanwhile, Rearper stood over Lia, arm raised.

"Mog. Drop the chalice!" commanded Creston. Mog looked confused, but obliged. "Now use your magic to help her. I know moogles can perform simple magic!"

Mog nodded again, sending a fire spell towards Rearper. Rearper was hit in the back, and tripped over Lianora, falling to the floor. The Lich turned to face both Lia and the skeleton.

Creston seized his chance. "Holy!" he shouted.

But to his astonishment, the spell did nothing!

The Lich laughed coldly. "You believe that I wouldn't think of holy spells? After everything you've been through?"

But Creston was thinking. He noticed something strange about the Lich- a strange aura surrounded him, different from the usual energy surrounding ghostly beings. But what was it…?

"A barrier!" exclaimed Lianora from afar, dodging another slash from Rearper.

"How do we break it though, kupo?" questioned Mog. Creston struck a thoughtful pose. His eyes wandered from the Lich, to the vortex, to the orbs on the pedestals. He let out a gasp; they were extremely similar to the orbs they had encountered before.

"Lia, the- GAH!" Creston's realization was interrupted by a meteor striking him down. Creston's body flipped through the air and hit the wall.

"Creston!" shouted Lianora, trying to dodge around Rearper.

"I'm fine!" coughed Creston. "You need to cast magic on the orbs!"

Lianora ran to her orb. It had a blue-purple glow. She tried thunder, but it didn't work. She then used gravity, and the orb's aura faded. She then struck the orb, and its color faded as well. Creston dashed towards the other orb, dodging another enormous lightning attack. He used holy on his orb, and struck it, before fleeing from another meteor attack. They had achieved what they wanted, though; the Lich's barrier faded. Creston dodged another meteor and hit him with holy.

The Lich let out a pained screech as his body became solid. He responded almost immediately, charging up a spell. Lianora looked around, and then saw a black hole appear behind her and Mog. She stared at it apprehensively; what spell was this?

She got her answer rather quickly. The black hole exploded, and flames appeared everywhere. Lia was scorched, while Mog was blown away. Lianora moved quickly- she had already lost her wings…she didn't need to get burned AGAIN.

The Lich tried creating another black hole, but this time Lianora was ready. The female Yuke dashed away from the hole and struck the Lich with her hammer. She whirled in the air, slamming her weapon into his helmet. The Lich then became ghostly once more, before Creston hammered him with another holy spell.

'She's a better physical fighter than most Yukes I've seen,' thought the Lich.

"But physical power won't overcome me so easily!" shouted the Lich aloud this time, hitting Lianora with another meteor. Creston cast holy on him one last time, but then the barrier appeared again. Creston cursed loudly, and ran over to the orb, but was cut down by Rearper.

"I'm still here, Yuke brat!" growled the skeleton. Creston kicked the skeleton in the foot, causing him to howl and stumble away. Creston cast the spell on the orb. Lianora was slowly making her way to hers.

They were successful again, although Creston and Mog were shocked by another lightning attack. They continued to fight the Lich.

"Be fast, Lianora!" shouted Creston. "His black hole spell requires a lot of time to charge up! Take advantage of that!"

"Got it!" cried Lianora, hitting the Lich with her hammer again. The Lich responded by using another black hole, which both Yukes easily avoided (although Creston tripped while dodging a slash from Rearper)

The Lich was starting to get tired. He hadn't fought for a long time. Few people rarely made it to his cavern nowadays. But…he couldn't give up yet.

He put all of his power into his next attack. With a loud cry, he used his most powerful lightning attack yet. Lianora was hit directly in the center of the thunder blast, and was sent flying off her feet onto her back.

"No!" shouted Creston, running towards her, preparing a cure spell, but he was crushed by a meteor. Creston was then lying on his back, gasping for breath. Rearper started to move towards the fallen Lia. She was conscious but couldn't move.

"No…don't'…," protested Creston weakly, but another meteor attack shut him up. Creston was barely able to strike the Lich with a holy spell.

"Any last words, Creston and Lianora?" asked the Lich. He paused, then spoke again. "Well…never mind…it's not like there's anyone here that cares. Have a nice afterlife."

_Whoosh._

The Lich was about to cast a finishing blow, when a spear flew across the battlefield, and stuck itself in the ghostly mages shoulder.

"What!?" yelled the Lich. "Who-"

Creston stared. There, slowly marching down the staircase, was Garrett, a fiery look in his eyes. Rearper paused to look at the new arrival, but was then knocked off his feet by an aura shot, courtesy of Ray. Rearper flew into a wall, and fell to the ground, groaning as he struggled to stand. Garrett let out a battle cry, running down into the battlefield, with Ray and Star right on his feels. Sam and Mika came next, Mika firing shots at the Lich as she ran, with Nieta bringing up the rear, bouncing the chalice on her head.

Lianora let out a sigh of relief. Their friends had come to save them!

"More intruders," breathed the Lich. He let out another whistle, and a countless number of skeletons dashed into the room, all armed to the teeth.

"Attack!" shouted Rearper.

Garrett dashed over to Creston, and helped him to his feet after Star healed him.

"You hurt?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm fine," responded Creston uncomfortably. It was rather strange talking to the person he had fought with before he left. "I'm not sure about Lia, though."

"Mika and Nieta are handling her and Mog," responded Garrett. "We were watching the battle for about two minutes before we rushed in to help. Element of surprise."

"Clever."

"Let's do this," said Garrett.

"Let's," agreed Creston.

The Lich was casting spells left and right, trying to strike down the caravanners in the mob of skeletons. He had returned to his ghostly form, and yet his barrier had still not returned. He tried frantically to kill the Tipa carvan, yet most of the time he would take out his own men instead of the invaders. He saw Nieta, still bouncing the chalice, strike a skeleton dead, while Sam and Mika were fighting side by side, taking out skeletons near and far. Lianora cast a spell on a mage skeleton, whose body crumpled almost instantly. Star was dueling three of the bony warriors at once, while Mog swung his chalice around, bashing skeletons over the head. In the mob, he spotted Ray bashing Rearper over the skull, which shattered after struck by Ray's paddle, and the headless corpse dropped to the floor.

Then he felt a sharp pain. His body became solid. He saw Creston with his arm raised in the fighting crowd. Creston began to run towards him, a Lilty at his side.

"We need to end this!" shouted Garrett. Most of the skeletons had been killed. Now the Lich was the only threat.

"Then let's do it!" yelled Creston in reply. Both of them jumped into the air. The Lich tried in vain to hit them both with meteors. But he had failed. Garrett slashed through the undead's cloak, and Creston bashed his helmet with his staff. At the same time, Mika killed the last skeleton.

The Lich floated in midair. He then let out a loud cry. "NOOOO! I'M GOING TO DIE!"

But after the cry, nothing happened. The Lich looked down at them all, a dark laugh coming from his helmet.

"I'm guessing you thought that would happen?" asked the Lich. "Wrong- Raem has made me all powerful. He has been helping me survive all this time, like he did with the Lizardman King and the Goblin King."

Sam vaguely remembered the Goblin King talking to someone they couldn't see as he died. Had that been Raem who had caused the flames to consume the mage goblin?

"You can't kill me, or banish my spirit like the Dragon Zombie," the Lich drawled. "And I won't let you escape. I've fooled you all. Now you're all going to die."

"_Wrong,"_ interrupted an icy voice.

The Lich immediately froze. The same was true for the Tipa caravan. They had all heard the sinister voice.

"What do you mean, Raem!?" demanded the Lich.

"Raem?" whispered Star in fear

"_Sorry, old friend…but it appears that you have softened up. You are certainly weaker than before…I suppose it's time for Rebena Te Ra to get a new king."_

"No! You can't!" shouted the Lich, fear entering his tone. "I'm not obsolete! I'm not weak like the Goblin King!"

"_Too bad. You talked your way out of death once. But not this time, though. Goodbye..."_

The vortex behind him began to suck the Lich in, as the Lich let out a shout of fright. He struggled to escape, floating through the air wildly, but to no avail. Eventually, the force of the portal overcame the undead king, and he was sucked into the vortex, never to be seen again.

"Whoa…," commented Sam, dropping to his knees. He no longer felt the eerily cold presence of Raem. The memory-eater had gone.

Creston put a hand on his shoulder. "We have a lot to explain," the Yuke said.

* * *

"So it's basically us against the ruler of all monsters?" asked Ray.

"Pretty much," agreed Creston quietly.

Silence. Then Sam broke it.

"Then…we're just going to have to fight Raem. Does anyone know where he is?"

"In the Abyss on the other side of the Rebena Plains," answered Lianora. "But I've heard tales that the Abyss is only a myth."

"We've heard stranger stories," said Mika. No one could argue with that.

"I've heard about the Abyss," piped up Nieta. "Apparently, in order to get through it, you have to have the "mythical fifth element."

Garrett snorted. "Now THAT sounds like a myth. I haven't heard a story like that."

"I have…my mother told it to me when I was a child…," said Sam.

"And I've seen the miasma stream at the other end of the Rebena Plains, kupo," said Mog.

"You have!?" exclaimed Mika. "What's it like?"

"It's golden…and…no element can really get through it. When I was a travelling moogle, I saw many caravans try to penetrate it, kupo. None of the four elements worked."

"So only this mythical secret element can work," said Creston. "If it exists, which is unlikely."

"You said the same thing about the golden lizardmen," remarked Ray, arching a brow.

Creston was silenced.

"Look, we'll worry about it all later, okay?" said Sam. "We'll try and look for hints next year. Now, we only have one matter to discuss."

"Which is?" asked Creston curiously. Sam pointed to Creston, and then Garrett. Both the Yuke and the Lilty stared at each other. Sam wanted them to apologize? Typical Clavat.

Garrett's eyes narrowed. Creston believed he was going to refuse. But Creston, having been surprised all throughout this ordeal, was shocked once more; Garrett held out his hand. Creston stared at this peace offering; Garrett, the boy who wanted to kill, fight, and kill some more, was offering a treaty between him and Creston…well, for now, anyway.

Creston reached out a feathered hand, and shook it.

Everyone conversed for a while after that, as they rested after the long fight. The mailmoogle came by and delivered them some letters- Creston was relieved that he hadn't received one. There was an uncomfortable topic about Creston's father and Lianora's burnt wings, and Creston felt awkward when everyone congratulated him on getting together with Lianora. Lianora just laughed at Creston's embarrassment, and held his hand in hers. Creston immediately felt more relaxed.

"Oy. We should probably get going. We still need to return the Fum chalice," said Ray. "Not to mention fill up our own."

"You guys go ahead," said Creston. "I'll fill up our chalice…and I need some time alone."

He walked off with Tipa's chalice.

"Still distant, eh?" remarked Ray.

"So it seems," agreed Star.

* * *

Creston stood still, watching the drop of myrrh fall into the chalice. He stared at his reflection in the depths of the water.

It was over…it truly seemed as if he had woken up from a nightmare. Not the Lich- his father. Compared to fighting Selstun, the Lich was a pushover. Creston sighed. Despite the fact that the nightmare was over…was this really the way things should have happened?

…well, it wasn't like Creston enjoyed what had happened. And yet…he knew that he had no choice. It was destined to end one day. The world wasn't big enough for both Selstun and Creston. And yet…

He had done what he had to do. Creston was no longer the quiet, antisocial, weak child he was from before. He had grown up, become strong, stood up to his father, and avenged his mother's death.

"Are you proud of me, mother?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sure she is," said a voice from behind him. Creston didn't even turn around as Lianora made her way towards him.

"I know it must've been hard…but you did the right thing," she told him reassuringly.

"I know…but sometimes the right thing doesn't seem right," admitted Creston.

"Creston…don't beat yourself up over it…and besides, I won't judge you for what you've done."

"True," said Creston, smiling behind his helm. "And your opinion is the only one that truly matters, when it comes right down to it."

"Don't flatter me, Creston," said Lia, embarrassed.

"I'm not flattering; I mean it. You're beautiful, smart, kind-hearted…"

"Creston, you haven't even seen my face," said Lianora, smacking his arm playfully.

"True enough."

A silence stretched on, and for some reason, it was as if Creston and Lianora shared a brain at that very moment.

It was common knowledge that Yukes hid their faces. In fact, the only time someone saw the face of a Yuke is if that person had a true bond with them. Removing or trying to remove a Yuke's armor when the bond isn't strong will cause the person to be punished severely.

Creston and Lianora glanced at each other questioningly, holding an entirely silent conversation. Lia gave a quick nod.

Creston reached over and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. Then, slowly, he lifted her visor…

* * *

And on that note, we're done!

Favorite Parts: Lich's speech, the skeleton vs. Tipa caravan, Creston and Garrett's handshake, and Creston and Lianora at the end.

I loved this chapter. I FINALLY GOT TO EXPLAIN SOME CRAP THAT EVERYONE'S BEEN WONDERING ABOUT.

So let's discuss the fallen monsters.

The Lich- he's smart. Really smart- but he isn't very strong. He is sort of like Raem's right hand man in a way- I liked his death a lot. I think making Raem the one to suck the Lich into the portal was an ironic plot twist.

Rearper- Another Knifeface, wanting to avenge his comrades. Despite his simple character, he survived for a while. I made Ray kill him because Creston has been killing too much lately.

And no, I'm not revealing Creston and Lianora's faces. I'm evil like that. Muahaha.~

Next Chapter: Returning home, love is in the air. Embarrassment and romance is all around, as well as some strange figuring done by a few caravanners. And despite the cheery atmosphere, one caravanner is still disturbed.

Bonescratch: 'ello. I'm doing the review request, losers! So ha! Review, because this story is cool like that!


	61. Shall we dance?

Okay…another chapter, ahoy! I'm sorry for my long absence! Due to difficulties and business, I haven't been able to get some "typing time" in a while. So, sorry for this short chapter.

Basically…another festival chapter…yeah…really.

It's 95% fluff…but meh…why not add a nice, cheery chapter to the plotline.

Anyways…get to reading. Or else…MOG GETS IT!

* * *

"The end of another year!" declared Mika, toasting her glass with Nieta. Nieta smiled back at her, and drained her cup.

"I think this was the best year of all," said Nieta. "I mean…so much happiness and love within the air…it's so wonderful."

Mika laughed. "True. We've obviously softened up a little."

Ray, who was seated next to her, wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah, but I still think you can be a cold, hard bitch sometimes."

"Ha," said Mika, yanking his air. Ray gave her a reproachful look, but he laughed heartily.

Nieta frowned. "But some things HAVEN'T changed," she remarked, pointing behind her.

"I still say I struck the finishing blow!"

"You can say something, and it can be wrong."

"Are you saying that I'm wrong!?"

"What was your first clue?"

"As if you could strike down a monster! You're a mage, not a physical fighter."

"But I'm also faster. Your body is almost as slow as your thought process."

Mika sighed in annoyance. Despite their apparent truce, Garrett and Creston had been barking at each other as much as usual.

"Why can't they just get along?" Nieta asked, sighing.

"They admire each other," said Ray. "Creston admires Garrett's strength, while Garrett admires Creston's mind. But neither of them would ever admit it, so…"

"Jerk!"

"Moron!"

"At least I've kissed a girl!"

"How do you know if I haven't?"

"Can you?" asked Garrett, fury changing to wonder instantly. "I mean, under that mask."

"That isn't your business," retorted Creston slyly, enjoying his torment of Garrett.

"C'mon, tell me! Do you even have lips?"

"Oh look- some little child stole your Longinus spear."

"What!?" exclaimed Garrett, whirling around. He ran off into the crowd to find the "thief".

Creston trudged back over to the others. Ray was giving him a weird look.

"What?" asked the Yuke, bewildered.

"Just curious…if you kiss the same way as us, do you do the "horizontal mambo" the same way, too?"

"I'm going to find Lianora," said Creston abruptly, getting up and walking off. Mika whacked Ray over the head.

"What? It was a curious, heartfelt question!"

"Nice to know that you constantly think of Yukes getting it on."

"Well, only because I can't think of us getting it on. Motivate me?"

"In your dreams," answered Mika, smirking. "Now let's go get some food."

"I hear ya," answered Ray, getting up and trailing behind her. Nieta watched in confusion.

"I know they're together, but they act more like best friends…nothing like Star and Sam…and speaking of couples, I'd better go tell Garrett that Creston was lying," she remarked.

She went off to go and find her boyfriend.

* * *

Long after Lianora had finished telling the children of their stories, she sat by Creston's side. It was rather odd. He was sitting very still, as if he was in deep thought.

"What is it?" she urged him.

"Oh…just…surrounded by all of these people…loving families," he said quietly. "I suppose even I can be hit with the green-eyed monster."

"Oh come on, you have me!" said Lianora, hugging him. Creston wrapped his arms around her, avoiding her burns (everyone knew about her injuries, but not the cause, thank god). She gave him a thoughtful look.

"Is Selstun really still bothering you?" she asked.

"I'm just wondering. Before he died, I never really understood him. Now he's gone, and I understand even less. I mean, why would he go far enough to become a zombie to achieve his goals? He may have been a madman, but he wasn't a fool. It's funny…when he was alive, I didn't even want to remember him, but now that he's dead, there are so many unanswered questions."

"Well…I can't help you there…," said Lianora dejectedly. Despite their recently started affair, Creston was still a very distant person.

Creston shook his head. "Don't think I'm trying to shut you out," he told her. "I'm not."

Then he got up and offered a hand down to her. "Care to dance?" he asked.

Lianora got up, surprised. "But I thought you couldn't dance!"

"I said I DON'T dance, not that I can't," corrected Creston, his voice very lighthearted. "I'll take that as a yes then?"

"Oh…s-s-sure," stammered Lianora, nervously. She was embarrassed…she hadn't seen such a…playful side to her fellow Yuke. She thought she was trembling as he led her towards the crystal.

Star and Sam were slow dancing nearby, in a very gentle fashion. Star gave Lia an encouraging smile. Lia smiled back nervously behind her helm, not that Star could see.

Creston started to waltz with her in a slow, but very pleasant and relaxed way. She was shocked; the last time her fellow Yuke had danced, he only did so halfheartedly…and he didn't do very well.

"How long were you planning on hiding this?" asked Lia teasingly.

Creston chuckled. "I didn't have anyone to impress until you came along," he answered. Lia felt her heart soar. He always knew the exact perfect thing to say.

Garrett and Nieta were also nearby, both of them looking very awkward. It was impossible if they were performing a single dance, but it was clear that they were both amateurs, seeing how they were both stepping on each other's feet. Garrett caught his older brother Markin laughing at him. A growl rumbled in his throat, as he ran after his brother. Nieta just laughed, and dashed after him.

Meanwhile, Ray was dancing with Mika in very fast, upbeat (and rather scandalous-looking) tango. Sam watched Ray with wide eyes, but Ray just gave him a wink as he dipped Mika again.

And so they danced, with Garrett and Nieta returning later. And for the most part, it was enjoyable.

Sam was in his sleeping bag under the stars, with Star sleeping at his side. He had wanted to be near the glowing light of the crystal.

It was as if everything was perfect. They had all grown extremely strong, everyone now had a lover, Creston and Garrett had ceased MOST of their arguing, and even though Raem was apparently after their village, they could beat him. Sam felt it in his heart.

He smiled, and closed his eyes. But then he felt the familiar tingling, strange sensation, as he slipped into the white, pale world of his dream. The peculiar sound of music entered his ear. The dream had been returning more frequently now, about every other time he slept.

'_Maybe everything isn't perfect…this dream might be a warning. Something's coming…I can feel it.'_

* * *

And on that foreshadowy note, we're done!

Favorite Parts: Garrett and Ray's awkward questions towards Creston, and the dancing scenes (particularly the Yukes' waltz, and the Selkies' "scandalous tango")

This was MOSTLY fluff. But then we have Sam's AMAZING DREAM. :D

Before anyone asks, the "horizontal mambo" that Ray mentions was a slang term for…making babies.

Not much else is happening, but all I can say is, I think the fifth year is going to be very interesting to write.

Next Chapter: As the caravanners leave the village again, Garrett comes up with an interesting idea to test their skills and see how far they've come, although he just wants to test his Spear of Longinus. Nevertheless, the caravan returns to River Belle Path, deciding to see how much they've grown.

Lich: I'm requesting the review, maggots. So review now…or face my undead wrath.

Nieta: Shut up, man! You're still stuck in the portal!

Lich: Don't tell THEM that!


	62. Return to River Belle

-drumroll-

Yeah, okay, so we are now announcing the beginning of the fifth year! Yippee! Woo hoo! Hurrah!

And so, our heroes return to River Belle Path. Ah, nostalgia…so much fun.

Pretty much it. This is sort of a "Let's see how much better we've gotten" chapter.

Also. Important notice thingy! There is a poll up on "The Rise of Selstun." Be sure to look at it, and hopefully cast a vote.

Now read! I DEMAND IT!

* * *

"Adventure time!" shouted Ray dramatically, pointing to the path up ahead.

Everyone just stared at him silently.

"Uh…Ray…that wasn't really necessary…we've been doing this for four years," stated Lianora.

"Well forgive me for trying to lighten the mood," remarked Ray, stung.

"Why would we need to lighten the mood?" asked Creston.

"Well, we've found out that the king of monsters wants to destroy us and our village, not to mention the fact that we've been to almost every dungeon in this world. We're bound to get bored!"

"What are you saying?" asked Star.

"Well, basically, we're just gonna have to start going to all of the places we've been, over and over again!" complained Ray.

"Half of the monsters are dead there, so it should be easy!" said Sam. "We're doing this to protect our village, not to be entertained."

"Y'see, it's that kind of attitude that makes people dislike you," countered Ray. Sam recoiled.

Nieta rolled her eyes. "Is this really something we need to be discussing?"

"Hey! I've got it!" yelled Garrett, his eyes bright. Everyone looked at him.

"Why don't we all return to River Belle Path?" the Lilty suggested, looking at them all. "We've gotten much stronger over the course of the years- why not see how far we've come by returning to the first myrrh tree we ever visited?"

Ray grinned. "I like the sound of that."

Lianora was nodding. "It actually sounds fun," she remarked.

"Good idea, Garrett!" said Star. Nieta just smiled at him fondly.

"Garrett has a good idea? Surely it's a sign of the apocalypse," said Creston sarcastically. But then he continued. "Although, apocalyptic or not, it doesn't stop it from being a good idea. I'm in."

"Me too," confirmed Mika.

"Me too, kupo!" said Mog.

"Then I guess we all agree…let's pay River Belle another visit," declared Sam.

Cheers followed his words.

* * *

"It's been so long…," said Star quietly, staring at the old path. "Way back when we first started out on this adventure, I never noticed, but the land is very beautiful here."

Creston smirked behind his helm. "I remember when we first came here.

* * *

"_Well, let's go!" yelled Garrett, dashing forward._

_"Yes Garrett- let's charge blindly in without making a plan, and completely ignore the monsters out for our blood," said Creston, sarcasm dripping from every word. "They're not going to let us walk past them, unless you're too hardheaded to realize that."_

_"HEY!" growled Garrett._

* * *

"Ah, the good old days," said Creston, reminiscing fondly. Garrett just glared at him.

"Well, let's not waste anymore time in the past," said Lianora, her tone brisk. "Shall we get this over with?"

"You read my mind," said Mika, stretching her arms in preparation. "C'mon, let's get going!

They began to walk along the old path, and as they did, memories of years before came flooding back.

"It makes you wonder…where do memories go when they're gone?" asked Sam wonderingly.

"To Raem, probably," answered Creston darkly. "Apparently, he eats all of our memories."

"But people die almost every day…if he could just take our memories when an old man or woman dies, then why would he be plotting to destroy half of this world?" asked Sam.

"Touché," responded Creston.

"Oy, we've got company," said Ray, alert.

They looked on, and saw three goblins. They were armed with a sword, a spear, and staff respectively (the third goblin was a mage).

"Grah!" shouted the one with the sword. "Intruders. We defeat them!"

"No!" cried the mage, putting out a hand to stop his comrade. "These are the ones who are responsible for the slaying of the Goblin King! I recognize the description of the Selkie with the stupid bandanna!"

Ray groaned, and Mika held back a laugh.

"They are no ordinary foes. We had better retreat."

"No," snarled the one with the spear. "A few of my comrades were killed in that battle…I say it's time for a little payback."

"Do you notice the differences in dialogue?" whispered Creston to Sam. "The one with the sword has less vocabulary then the other two."

"Then the other two must be renegades from Goblin Wall," guessed Sam.

The goblin with spear dashed forward, his weapon colliding with Garrett's. Garrett spun around, and Longinus severed the head of the unsuspecting creature.

Garrett snorted. Compared to the other beasts they had fought, these guys were a piece of cake. Knifeface was fifty times more difficult to fight.

The goblin with sword ran forward, flailing his sword wildly. Lianora just gaped. He had no posture at all. With a quick and quiet mutter, she shot a fire spell at him. Mika shot two shots from her shooter at the same time, and the goblin keeled over.

The mage goblin gulped, seeing both of his comrades go down. He fired a quick thunder spell, which skimmed Garrett and Nieta. The warty blue monster ran off at a surprisingly fast speed, but Ray was quicker. Cutting off the head of the other goblin's spear, he flicked it through the air, and it embedded itself in the fleeing goblin's back. With a loud and mournful cry, it dropped to its knees.

"I can't believe it," said Nieta. "This is EASY."

"Yeah, I mean, why don't we just come back here whenever we can?" remarked Garrett.

"Well…I think it's good for us to fight harder monsters…stay in shape," said Lianora.

"Well spoken," agreed Star, and Creston nodded in approval.

"We can't just be lazy…we need to go everywhere, and fight everything…be prepared for all possible situations," said the male Yuke. Nieta nodded in understanding.

"Well, let's get through here so we CAN go everywhere," she said, walking off at a brisk pace. The others followed the once-noble Lilty. They eventually came across another goblin with a sword, and hedgehog. However, unlike the other hedgehogs they had fought, this one was gray and made of stone.

"A stone hedgehog," mused Creston thoughtfully aloud. "That's strange…from what I've heard, they are rather rare."

"Indeed…," concurred Lianora. "I believe they rarely migrate down from the mountains further to the east."

"Native or not, it's still an enemy," said Mika.

"I thought I'd just describe it a little, seeing how it only appears in this chapter," retorted Creston.

"There you go, breaking the fourth wall again!" said Ray. "We can't keep doing that."

"Easy for you to say! You got to break it back in chapter fifty-two!" said Garrett.

"Which was ten chapters ago," shot back Ray.

"Come down, kupos!" cried Mog. "And watch out."

"Why?" asked Star, bemused.

"Because while you were breaking the fourth wall, the stone hedgehog was preparing to break you."

"Oh really-" began Star, but she was cut off as a blast of rocks hit her. The stone hedgehog had crept up behind the bickering travelers and pile-drived itself into the ground. Garrett ran forward and started to whack it furiously with his spear.

"Garrett, that's not going to work!" said Creston harshly. "You need to use a gravity spell to weaken it!"

"Then do it!" said Garrett, still pummeling the stony monster furiously, preventing it from attacking the others. Creston muttered something about Garrett being an ungrateful brat, but cast the gravity spell. Afterwards, it only took a few more hits from Longinus to destroy the stone being.

"Ah," said Garrett, beaming at his weapon. "It's so magnificent."

"Watch out Nieta, you've got competition," joked Ray. Nieta laughed. Garrett rolled his eyes.

"But he can't make out with a spear," replied Nieta mischievously. Garrett's face turned as red as Ray's bandanna, and he continued to walk.

Sam examined Star's face. She had a small cut. Sam wiped the blood off with his finger. "Are you all right?"

Star smiled serenely at him. "I'm fine."

"Wasn't there a goblin as well?" asked Lianora. Mog piped up.

"I knocked him into the river while you all were arguing. Compared to other goblins, these ones are rather stupid, kupo."

"Well said, Mog. Well said," said Sam, stifling a yawn. Mika found a fallen key, and opened a door a few paces ahead.

They headed deeper in, and found a chieftain with two other goblins, both with spears.

"So! These the guys you talk about, yes?" asked the larger goblin to his cronies. They both nodded. "They no look tough."

"You weren't there, mate," said one of them.

"Yeah, these guys are bad news."

"Ha! If these fools take out King, then King must not be as strong as me think!"

"Don't under-" began one of the spear wielders, but the chieftain ran towards them in a frenzy. "…estimate them."

Sam ran forward, his sword in hand, as he made a vicious slice at the chieftain. While he did not manage to hit the large goblin, he definitely unbalanced it. Sam then drop kicked the monster, and stabbed it with his blade. The chieftain stabbed at him feebly before coughing and dying on the ground. The other two goblins charged forward, hoping to catch Sam by surprise, but Ray and Mika both fired shots from their rackets, knocking both goblins off their feet. Nieta ran over and finished them off. Sam searched the pockets of the chieftain and found a key that unlocked the next door.

Up ahead was the bridge where they had all eaten a meal together for the first time.

"It seems so long ago, but it's only been four years," said Sam. "Things have changed so much..."

At that moment, a mu emerged from the ground and started to run towards the caravanners.

"EEK!" shrieked Star, fleeing away from the small raccoon-like creature. As more mus emerged, Ray, Mika, and Creston disposed of them quickly. Mika just got a small scratch on her arm, but other than that, there were no injuries.

Ray pointed towards the shivering Star. "But some things never changed, do they?"

Sam rolled his eyes. No, they most certainly did not.

The caravanners continued to move further along the road. They found another surprise; griffins had arrived in River Belle Path.

"Quick guys! Keep moving or else they'll get you!" shouted Lianora.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Oh, really? I thought that we had to stay still and kill them with our MINDS."

Lianora seemed hurt. Creston leaped to her defense.

"Well, her idea seems better than sitting around making sarcastic remarks," he retorted slyly. Ray made a rude hand gesture in response, which Star gasped at. But karma struck Ray down, as the griffin hit him with its tail.

Creston laughed, but stopped as Sam gave him a stern look. He sent a fire spell soaring towards the griffin. It let out a loud caw, and shoot an icy blast at Creston in retaliation. Creston dodged, and Lianora hit the griffin with another fiery attack. Garrett finished it off, stabbing it with his spear.

They continued to fight other creatures, taking down more griffins, as well as a few goblins. The eight warriors eventually came to the grotto that led to the giant crab.

"Hey," said Nieta, pointing to a path that went off to the side. "Where do you think that leads?"

"I don't think we have time to explore," said Lianora.

Garrett snorted. "Seeing how easy this place is, I reckon we've got all the time in the world," he scoffed.

Star nodded in agreement, but she used kinder words. "A little detour won't hurt us."

Most of the others agreed with that statement, and they all decided to take a detour. They found a surprise waiting for them. There was a house there!

"Who could live out here?" asked Sam, bewildered. Mog looked away.

"Nothing human," replied Creston grimly. "There's no crystal nearby."

Suddenly, a small creature scurried from the house, coming over to meet the caravanners. Everyone tensed up, ready for a fight.

"Hello, kupos!" said a moogle. They all stared dumbfounded. "Welcome to our house in River Belle Path. Come on, let's get some lunch!"

Mog tapped Nieta on the head. "Say no, say no!"

"Wait…could it be?" asked the moogle. Mog let out a groan.

"Oh, Mog, it IS you!" cried the moogle. She let out a squeal. "You've come home, my little Moggie-poo!"

"Moggie-poo?" asked Ray, cracking a grin. Mog sighed.

"This is my…mother…kupo," he said.

"Aw…," said Lianora. "A little family!"

"Mog…why did you leave…you know your father always wanted you to continue the family business!" said Mog's mother.

"Mooom!" whined Mog. "I don't want to give out stamps!"

"Stamps?" asked Creston.

"Don't ask, kupo," warned Mog.

"Well, you can at least come inside and greet your father," persisted Mog's mother.

"Well, the thing is, mom, is that…THEIR VILLAGE IS ABOUT TO DIE! WE HAVE TO GET MYRRH FAST, KUPO!" yelled Mog.

"Oh no!" screamed his mother shrilly. "Never mind! I understand! Go, Mog! Make me proud! But come around for dinner, alright?"

"Suuuure," said Mog. But his mother didn't see him crossing his feet.

* * *

"I still don't understand why you weren't so happy to see your mother," said Lianora.

"Because she treats me like I'm two, kupo," stated Mog bluntly.

"But you still shouldn't have lied like that," protested Star.

"Screw it," said Mika. "We've got myrrh to get."

They arrived in the clearing. The waterfall was flowing into the lake, and they could see the myrrh tree in a field nearby.

"Wait…seeing that we've killed the giant crab…we can just snag the myrrh really quickly…right?" asked Nieta.

"I guess," said Sam. But as he started to stride over to the field with the tree, something emerged out from behind the waterfall. It took a tremendous leap and landed in front of the travelers.

"Another one!?" yelled Garrett in disbelief.

"Well…the Dragon Zombie did imply that there were more than one," pointed out Ray.

"Now you tell us?!" snarled Garrett.

"Still, this thing seems bigger," said Creston, sizing the creature up. "And for some reason, it seems really peeved at us."

It was true; unlike the first crab, this one was making low hissing and growling noises.

"Do you think it knew the first one, kupo?" asked Mog.

"No…I think it's its mother," said Creston.

"How so?" asked Lianora.

"Well, I can tell by the lighter skin color that this one is female, and it seems older than the other crab we fought," explained Creston.

"So mummy's going to avenge her son?" asked Ray. "Big grudge. One to rival that gremlin that stalked me."

All the while, the crab had crept closer, and with a slash of its pincer, Sam was knocked backwards. The giant crab roared. It was time to fight.

Garrett ran forward, getting in one cut with his spear, but the crab slammed down its large claw on top of him. Garrett managed to crawl away, as one of his ankles had been twisted. Nieta took over, striking the crab from the side, but she turned and struck Nieta with her pincer.

"Be careful- this one's older, and a more experienced fighter," cautioned Mika, as she fired a few shots from her racket. The giant crab shot a slow energy ball at Mika. Mika rolled to the side and avoided it easily.

Star ran in, sword and shield in hand, but as she was getting closer to the beast, something small and furry emerged from the ground. She screamed as the mu lashed out with its claws.

Ray, trying not to laugh, saved his friend, aiming a well aimed projectile at the brown rodent. The mu flew into the water, but hit its head on the bottom of the pool, knocking it out and potentially drowning it.

"Thanks," said Star, embarrassed and relieved.

"No problem," said Ray. "Duck."

Star obeyed this command, but not quickly enough. She was hit by a large purple blast, and her body became paralyzed. Sam used a clear spell on his beloved, and she gave him a grateful smile.

While Star had to deal with her…problem, Creston had managed to destroy the crab's pincer. The crab retaliated by hitting Lianora with a slow spell, which Creston got rid of rather quickly. The crab then leaped to the air, and landed next to Mika, sending her sliding across the landscape, but she exposed her back to Ray, who beat her down with his racket.

As the crab writhed and slammed its claw down, the caravanners fought back. More or less experienced, this crab wasn't too strong. Eventually, the giant claw was torn off by Garrett's trusty spear. With a painful cry, the crab casted a powerful Thundaga attack, which hit Sam, Ray, and Nieta. Creston angrily responded by hitting the monster with a Firaga attack, which sent the crab sliding backwards.

Lianora tried to hit it with a powerful magical strike, but she was hit by a slow energy ball. Garrett was hit by a second ball, but by this time, Sam and Ray had recovered. Ray cured himself, Sam, and Nieta, and then fired a shot at the crab. It was hit directly in between in the eyes (were those two things eyes- Ray honest couldn't tell). The crab scrabbled across the ground a in a dazed state, shooting energy balls everywhere, but usually missing. As Garrett walked over to make a finishing blow, the crab went berserk and launched another Thundaga attack. Garrett was shocked, and his hair stood on the end. Lianora took some damage as well.

Nieta dashed forward, yelling a battle cry. "That's my boyfriend, you stupid crustacean!"

She sliced off all of the monsters legs, and then furiously stabbed it around twenty times. The crab never knew the wrath it had caused to emerge from Nieta, and died rather quickly. It began to dissolve, as Nieta hopped off of the monster, not even looking at it.

Creston looked at Garrett. "I suggest you never make her angry," he advised.

* * *

"Wow, we did better than I thought," said Star, as the sun set. The Tipa caravan was heading back to their carriage, after getting their mail and myrrh.

"A lot can change in five years," said Mika, draping an arm over Ray's shoulder. Ray wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You've got that right, babe," he said.

"Well, all I can say is that change or no change, I'm happy that I've gotten to spend five years with you guys," said Sam.

"Ditto," replied Nieta.

They eventually arrived back at their caravan, with the paopamus eagerly waiting for them to return. Creston flicked the reins, and drove the caravan for awhile, before they stopped, set up camp, and went to sleep.

* * *

Well…I think this was a nice chapter. Not the best…but a nice chapter.

Favorite Parts: There are a variety of lines in here that I found amusing, but I also liked the breaking of the fourth wall, and the final scene.

Mog's parents live in River Belle Path- I decided to give Mog a rather typical "teenager relationship" with his parents. He loves them, but he wished his mom would treat him more like an adult and leave him alone more. Although the scene was short, I think it sort of gave some character to Mog. Not as sweet and cuddly as we thought eh?

The only reason why that scene was so short is because I didn't really see anything interesting that I could do with it. I could find something humorous to put in, but this isn't a comedy…it's an adventure…so yeah.

Anything else in this chapter? Oh yeah, Longinus. Garrett now has the Longinus spear. Lianora made it for him. Ray gets the Dreamcatcher at the start of Year 6.

Next Chapter: Travelling on the road for the umpteenth time, the caravanners reunite with Gurdy once more, who gives them another poem. They decide to try and visit a certain place, only to find out that they have to make a bit of a detour...

Raust: And I'm going to requessst a review thisss time. Ssso why don't you jussst click that little button there and do it!


	63. The Final Verse: The Myth of the Abyss

And here we are. Another chapter, which features the final Gurdy poem. :D

Uh…anything else going on here? I don't believe so…just the cool stuff!

And nothing more! So we shall get on with this-

WAIT! I FORGOT! TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, VOTE ON THE SELSTUN POLL! VOTE, DAMNIT!

Okay then. Happy reading!

* * *

Garrett kicked Ray. "Get up, sleeping beauty," he grunted. Ray yawned loudly.

"Sheesh, wake me up at the crack of dawn, why don't ya," remarked Ray.

"It's noon," grumbled Garrett discontentedly. Ray had been sleeping inside of the caravan ever since they got through the miasma stream last night. Now they were in the Iron Mine Downs, heading for Marr's Pass once again. After Garrett's brilliant idea, things were looking up for the caravanners- even Creston and Garrett were getting along.

Mika was steering the caravan along, with a frightened Star beside her.

"Be careful!" cried the gentle Clavat, grabbing Mika's arm. "You almost hit that rock!"

"Look, go find something that distracts you from my driving so you'll stop distracting me!" said Mika.

"Like what?" asked Star.

"I don't know, go make out with Sam or something!" hissed Mika in gritted teeth. When Star blushed, she rolled her eyes. "Stop being embarrassed about it! You're together now, so even if you get freaky-"

"Mika!" whispered Star in a hushed tone, her eyes wide. "I…we're not thinking about-"

"Sheesh, you Clavats really ARE innocent," said Mika, chuckling.

"Well, what about you?" shot back Star defensively. "You haven't slept with Ray…have you?" She honestly couldn't tell with the two of them.

Mika rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, just last night," she said sarcastically. When Star gasped, she put up her hands. "I'm joking, I'm joking!"

"Watch the road!" shouted Star, changing the subject.

"I hear ya, I hear ya- hey," said Mika, squinting into the distance.

"What is it?" asked Star, noticing Mika's expression shift.

"I'm not sure…but it looks like some people are stranded by the road…no caravan in sight…," reported Mika.

"Should we get a closer look?" asked Lianora, who had heard the conversation.

"I guess," said Mika, shrugging. "What harm could it do?"

* * *

"So…are you willing to help me again?" asked Gurdy with a nervous chuckle.

Creston smacked his helm, while Nieta groaned out loud in agitation. Even Sam was annoyed with the poet's antics by now.

"You'd better pay up!" said Bal Dat, grinning mischievously "You don't know what will happen to this guy if you don't!"

"Yeah!" put in Meh Gaj.

"What should we do?" asked Sam, looking at Creston for advice, as usual.

"Why not just leave him?" suggested the Yuke. "I mean, what has he ever done for us in return? Given us a few simple poems."

"Hey!" cried Gurdy in indignation.

Sam sighed as he felt the natural sense of doing the right thing. "How much do you want for him?" asked the Clavat leader.

"Everything you've got, kupo!" said the striped moogle. Both Garrett and Lianora made outraged remarks. Mika stood watching the bargaining. She supposed that she would have to step in. They were the Striped Brigands, right? So…

"How about a striped apple?" asked Mika, holding out the yellow and red fruit.

Gurdy smirked. Did she really think they'd accept something as meaningless as that?

"Deal!" shouted Bal Dat, as the thief ran over and took Mika's apple. Gurdy stared in disbelief, as the scheme that he and the Brigands had planned failed miserably.

"NO!" shouted Ray, hurling himself at Bal Dat's leg. He wrapped his arms around it and would not let go.

"Uh…get off?" asked Bal Dat, shaking his leg a little.

"Why!?" howled Ray, as Mika pulled him away. "Why must you take the one valuable thing we possess!?"

Mika gave him a swift kick to the groin, and Ray's complaints turned into cuss words very quickly.

"A striped apple!? Is that all I'm worth?" asked Gurdy, offended and outraged.

"Pretty much," said Creston.

"Yeah," said Meh Gaj, nodding as his eyes stared at the apple.

"Oh, thanks!" said Gurdy sarcastically. "Oh well. Anyways, as a special treat, why don't I give you all of my poems, as well as a new one?"

Garrett opened his mouth to make a rude reply, but Gurdy already began to speak.

_Lightning brings the cactus pain_

_Of crumbled inn few reminisce_

_Lonely mushroom bursts to flame_

_Three rocks await the blizzard's kiss_

_In the end shall bloom a flower_

_Sacred light reveals its power._

"Well, there we are," said Gurdy. "Who wants to hear a story about the mystery of the desert sands?"

"NO!" shouted everyone else.

* * *

Long after they had left Gurdy and the Striped Brigands behind, Sam was still thinking. Every time he heard a poem from that Clavat, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu. But what was it…?

Suddenly, he felt a flash in his mind. It was as if he was having the dream again! But this time he was fully awake. It was as if a memory came sliding back into his brain. Sam fell over onto the ground.

"Sam!?" yelled Star in horror, as the Clavat plummeted to the ground. "What's wrong?"

"Is he having a stroke or something?" asked Garrett, eyes wide.

Creston ran over and checked Sam's heartbeat, as well as all other major signs of life. Nothing seemed to be wrong.

Sam simply closed his eyes as a dream overtook him…

* * *

_He was in the world of white once more, a strange music filling his ears. But this time, a warm, gentle voice accompanied it._

"_Having trouble sleeping again, my precious Sam?" asked the feminine voice of Sam's true mother. "I suppose I'll have to tell you a story."_

"_Hmmm…I know! The story of the fifth element!"_

_Sam could only wait for the tale to begin._

"_They say that there is a fifth element that rivals all of the others. An element that can allow the user to travel through any miasma stream. Most people do not believe in this mythical element, saying that it would've been discovered by now."_

"_But then, after hearing the words of a Clavat poet, your father and I decided to help our friend, a Yukeish scientist, try to discover the element, or at least search a likely place. We had to unravel the secret within the poem, as if it was a riddle."_

"_Lightning brings the cactus pain_

_Of crumbled inn few reminisce_

_Lonely mushroom bursts to flame_

_Three rocks await the winter's kiss_

_In the end shall bloom a flower_

_Sacred light reveals its power."_

"_Following these clues, we went to the place where the Clavat implied there was a great treasure. A great, massive desert. At first, it seemed impossible. But we followed the clues, and we found the fifth element."_

"_The element allows us to travel through any miasma stream, but there is another purpose. It is the only element that can open the Abyss, which contains Mount Vellenge, the place where the meteor of miasma struck…in fact, we are currently in the Abyss right now."_

"_Remember what I have told you Sam, in case something that happens. I know you will remember. Now get some sleep…"_

* * *

Sam's eyes shot open. He looked around quickly, seeing his friends clustered around him. He was rest inside of the caravan.

"He's awake," said Lianora. "Thank goodness."

"Sam?" whispered Star, holding him close. "Are you alright?"

Sam sat up, shaking his head. "The fifth element," he murmured.

"What?" asked Creston sharply.

"The fifth element," said Sam. "I had a dream about the fifth element."

Creston seemed confused. "What's that?"

"Ah, that old bedtime story about the fifth element unlocking the so-called Abyss," remarked Ray. "The myth of the Abyss. I'm guessing your parents never read you bedtime stories?"

"No," answered Creston curtly. "What IS the myth of the Abyss?"

"They say that there is a land beyond the furthest end of the world," said Nieta, shrugging her shoulders. "This land is rumored to be the Abyss. But it can only be accessed by getting the mysterious fifth element."

"But no one alive has ever even found the fifth element, let alone the Abyss," explained Lianora. "It's just a very irrational theory."

"No one alive has it," said Sam quietly. "But my parents found it."

Everyone was silent, before Lianora spoke again.

"Not to be a downer, Sam but…your parents are dead…and how is it even possible for you to remember such a thing?" asked Lianora.

"I just no, but I don't think I'm imagining things," said Sam. "She recited Gurdy's poem perfectly. I had always thought I had heard his poems before."

"Perhaps she met his father or something," suggested Creston. "Either way…it's unlikely."

"Hold on," said Mika quickly, staring at Sam. "Did she mention a place at all?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Creston.

"Because, if you haven't noticed, Gurdy's poem mentions natural things. Rocks, mushrooms, and cactuses. There might be a connection."

"She said they found it in a great desert," said Sam.

"Hmmm…great big desert," said Ray, thinking. "Sounds a bit like Lynari Desert, doesn't it?"

"And Gurdy often mentioned a great treasure lying in the sands," piped up Mog.

"Well, even if we assume there IS a fifth element, where would the Abyss be?" asked Nieta. "We've been in all areas."

Silence. Then Star spoke up.

"We never travelled to the other side of the Rebena Plains," said Star. "It could be there. The meteor that brought miasma to the world is said to have crashed into the Abyss. Let's face it, it had to crash somewhere."

"So let me get this straight," said Creston. "You're saying that you believe, now that we've heard Gurdy's poems and Sam's dreams, that there may in fact be a fifth element, that MAY allow us to go through a miasma stream, which might lead us to the Abyss, where the source of miasma lies…assuming that all three of these things exist?"

"Pretty much," said Mika.

"I think you're insane," said Creston.

"Not at all," retorted Mika. "I was right about the golden lizardmen, right? And besides, if we prove that there's a fifth element, that pretty much proves that there's another miasma stream."

"She has a point," admitted Garrett. "You can't deny that."

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" asked Creston in an annoyed tone.

"I say we go to Leuda and Lynari Desert, use the clues to the poem, and see if there's a fifth element," said Mika. "And even if there isn't, we can get a drop of myrrh," proposed Mika.

"All in favor?" asked Sam. Everyone except Creston, Lianora, and Garrett raised their hands.

Creston sighed. "All right," he said. "But I still say it's mad."

* * *

Muahahaha! And so we are done once more!

Favorite Parts: Mika and Star's conversation, and Creston's last line at the end.

So, now they know the meaning behind Gurdy's poems. And yes, Sam's parents DID find the fifth element. You can see Sam's story starting to come together. This is mainly a PLOT PLOT AND MORE PLOT CHAPTER.

However, what I like to call the "Annoying Detour Arc" begins now! WAHAHAHAHA!

And don't worry, everything will be explained in a suitable manner. In fact, the Tipa caravan gets some help from some unexpected sources.

Next Chapter: The Tipa Caravan goes to the Jegon River to try and go to Leuda. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, it's not going to be as easy as they thought.

Zesall: And ssso, it isss I who isss requesssting a review. Ssso…jussst do it already. Ssstupid non-reviewing readersss.


	64. Detour

'ello chums! It's time for a lovely chapter.

I'm sorry that it's been so long. I've been VERY busy.

Uh…yet another short chapter…in all honesty…this isn't gonna be a great one…

BUT ALSO! THE RISE OF SELSTUN IS NOW UP! GO READ IT!

So yeah…the gang goes to the Jegon River to find an interesting surprise…durr hurr…

HAHAHAHA!

…I'll start typing now

* * *

Nieta yawned as sun shined in through the window, rubbing her eyes at the brightness. A sleeping Garrett mumbled in his sleep beside her. It was the start of another brilliant day.

They were going on a great adventure, to the desert sands of Lynari Desert, to search for the mystical fifth element. Nieta was excited. To think, they could prove a theory correct or incorrect. And if they FOUND an element, imagine the possibilities that would be opened up to them! They could search for the Abyss, and see the world where miasma first appeared in. Despite the danger, Nieta couldn't help but be intrigued.

"It's time for us to delve into the unknown," she whispered.

* * *

Creston sighed. "You had to get us kicked out of the inn before breakfast?" he asked, looking at Mika.

Mika shrugged. "I don't see what I did wrong."

"You walked downstairs and ordered breakfast in your underwear."

"It was hot last night," countered Mika defensively.

"Yes, but there's a thing called getting dressed-"

"I didn't mind," put in Ray. "After all, I've seen her undergarments before."

Creston gave him a disgusted look, before talking to Mika again. "Be thankful that Star made breakfast for us. After all, with all the trouble you've caused-"

"You're just mad because everyone listened to MY idea about going to Lynari, rather than YOUR idea," said Mika, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"I have to check the map," said Creston stiffly, walking off towards the carriage.

"Looks like someone's suffered a blow to his ego," said Garrett.

Lianora smiled serenely behind her mask. "He's just a bit annoyed. Creston is someone who hates being wrong- or not being listened to, at least."

"I don't know how you put up with him," said Mika, laughing.

"You're one to talk! Ray must be torture!" said Lianora, and both girls laughed.

"Guys…I'm right here," pointed out Ray gruffly.

* * *

"How much longer?" asked Garrett from the front.

"If you ask that one more time," growled Creston. "I'm going to shove this carrot-"

"Creston," warned Sam. He turned to the Lilty. "Garrett, you've been to the Jegon River before. You know the distance."

"Yeah, but it seems longer when you drive."

"Look, it should take about twenty more minutes," said Sam. "Why are you so anxious to get there?"

"I just want to get the boat ride over with," groaned the short warrior. "My stomach is already feeling disturbed."

"I can make you some tea or something to soothe your stomach," offered Star.

Garrett scoffed. "Tea is gross."

"You'd think anything that is good for you is gross. Like Ray," pointed out Lianora.

"I resent that," commented the Selkie male. "Striped apples are VERY good for you."

"Oh, look!" shouted Nieta, pointing, hoping to break up the fighting. "I CAN SEE THE JEGON RIVER."

Everyone turned.

"Looks like we're here," said Sam, relieved.

…

"So Garrett, about that tea-"

"Tea is gross."

"Well, actually-"

Sam groaned, and held his head in his hands. "How much longer?"

"You should know that by now," replied Garrett.

* * *

"No freaking way," groaned Ray. "No FREAKIN' WAY!"

"I don't believe this," said Mika, hitting her face with her hand. Creston smirked behind his mask.

The Jegon River was dried up. Which meant…no boat was in sight. Which meant…Leuda was out of the question. Which meant Creston won.

Creston tried not to feel the guilty pleasure…but…HA! He knew he'd win.

"Of all times for this stupid river to dry up," complained Nieta, glaring at the river.

"Well," said Creston cheerily, and Mika glowered at the smug Yuke. "I guess we can't go off exploring, now can we? So I suggest we forget this little epiphany you had, and go back to getting myrrh…like I said before."

"Well, actually, there's a way to get the river to refill," pointed out Star innocently.

Mika whirled around to face her, smile back on her face. Creston was mortified. Damnit Star!

"Veo Lu Sluice flows into the Jegon River right?" asked Star, to Lianora. Lianora nodded.

"Yes…the sluice is powered by pump plants that carry water from Veo Lu Sluice to the Jegon River…but I don't see why you're pointing this out," she said.

"It's obvious isn't it?" asked Star. "The pump plants must've died. We'll have to plant new ones."

Garrett ogled at Star. "How the heck did you figure that out?"

"I'm a Clavat. We know all about nature and plant life," said Star. "After all, nature is a beautiful and wonderful thing, filled with blue skies, meadows, and cute little moogles-"

"Gag me," growled Ray, trying to ignore Star's list of why nature was amazing. Typical Clavat.

"I'm cute?" asked Mog, dumbfounded. "I lied to my own mother, kupo!"

"So what you're saying is that you want us to make an annoying detour to Veo Lu, refill the pump plants, and come all the way back here to go to Leuda?" asked Creston, dumbfounded.

"Yes," said Mika, a challenge in her voice.

"Please. The others won't vote for that."

"Hands in the air if you want to go toe Veo Lu."

Seven hands shot up, and Mog bobbed up and down.

"Why do I even bother?" asked Creston in an exasperated tone.

* * *

They had returned to Marr's Pass, changed their chalice's element, and walked through the miasma stream. It was strange. For the most part, the miasma streams barely fazed them anymore. They were still creepy and desolate, yes, but the tingly feeling and uneasiness that they had experienced before was very small, if it was even still there. The caravanners then headed to Tida to make the chalice's element to wind, so they could get to Veo Lu.

They set up camp and ate dinner. Nieta had volunteered to take the first watch, and Mika slept in her underwear again, just to spite Creston (which had amused Garrett, happy that someone else got to quarrel with the elder Yuke). Star and Sam were as close as ever, and they were actually sharing a sleeping bag now (Ray had often mocked the fact that they were the first couple, and yet it took them the longest to get close). Nieta sat next to a snoozing Garrett, ready to wake him for his watch when it was time. Creston, although in a rather bitter mood, slept soundly, holding a quiet Lianora. Mog was curled up near Sam and Star.

The stars shined, as the caravanners prepared for the next day.

* * *

Sam was driving the caravan the next day when they came across the Fum caravan. After enjoying a nice breakfast of fruit (well, most of them did; Garrett just sighed unhappily throughout the meal), the two caravans talked.

"So…what are you up to?" asked Jake.

"Well…the Jegon River is dried up, and we want to get to Leuda," explained Lianora. "So we're restoring the pump plants at Veo Lu Sluice."

The Fum caravan stared at each other in confusion.

"Have you not heard?" asked Sheila.

"Heard what?" asked Garrett.

"Tristan has moved his ship and business to Port Tipa, in the Tipa Peninsula. I thought you would know, because it's near your home town."

Nieta brightened. "That means we can go back to Tipa without having to restore the sluice!"

Creston shook his head. "No. The Tipa miasma stream was earth…and there are no areas to change the chalice's element to earth in the Iron Mine Downs."

"So what you're saying is now we HAVE to Veo Lu Sluice if we want to get to Leuda?" asked Sam incredulously. Creston nodded in annoyance.

"Kindly leave us," requested Ray, smiling at the Fum caravan. The Clavats exchanged glances, and quickly departed.

"Well…now look where we're at!" snarled Creston, glaring at Mika.

"Neither of you knew that Tristan had made port at Port Tipa," said Star soothingly. "Let's not antagonize one another."

"Star's right," agreed Garrett gruffly. "Usually I'm pro-fighting, but this isn't the best time. We need to fill up the Jegon River."

"Well…I suggest we go to Veo Lu Sluice, then," said Lianora, an idea popping in her head. "But I'd like to make a quick stop first."

"Great, another detour," said Ray sarcastically. Creston turned his masked face towards the Selkie, and Ray looked away.

"Where do you suppose we should go?" asked Mika, arching a brow and folding her arms.

Lianora smiled behind her mask. "To visit some old friends of ours…"

* * *

So, it is over. Whoopee.

Favorite Parts: I don't why, or how this came to exist, but the Mika/Creston conflict throughout the chapter was very nice…I don't where it came in, but the more I wrote the chapter, the more I noticed it. I eventually decided "What the hell", and made it a central part of this chapter.

So now…they must go to Veo Lu Sluice…to restore the river...to get to Leuda…to find the fifth element…

Confusing, I know.

BUT FIRST! Lianora wants to go somewhere. If you would like to guess where, think of the places where Lia has been, but the others haven't. It probably will be hard to guess. You'll have to read carefully in the earlier chapters.

Next Chapter: As the gang makes their way to Veo Lu Sluice, Lianora decides to take the gang to a special place she found to gather information. However, with old enemies running about, will the Tipa caravan find out anything new? And will they get a myrrh tree out of it?


	65. The Library

All right…here we are again! Tally ho!

In this chapter, Lianora takes the caravanners to a special place to gather info…I'll bet you didn't figure it out…

But anyways, you'll figure it out as SOON as the chapter starts. So yeah. We're all good here.

I supposed we can start the chapter no-

Lizardman King: You forgot the review request last chapter.

Me: Wait what?

Lizardman King: Yes…so you'll need to have TWO requests this chapter.

Me: Fine…who's doing it this time?

Sahagin Trio: KYAHAHAHAHA! WELCOME TO THE AMAZING NEW CHAPTER. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW IT WHEN YOU'RE DONE! BECAUSE WE'RE SO COOL, AND-

Me: And now we start the chapter!

Sahagin: WAIT! YOU CAN'T INTERRUPT US! YOU CAN'T CUT US OFF MID-SENT-

* * *

"Why are we back in THIS place?" asked Garrett, grimacing.

The Tipa caravan was standing at the entrance of Moschet Manor, staring out at the large courtyard before them.

"I told you. There's a library here," said Lianora, sighing. No matter how many times she explained, she knew the headstrong Lilty wouldn't get it. Most Lilties (and especially Garrett) weren't too fond of books and learning from them.

"Does this mean I have to read?" whined Garrett.

"Hey, reading is interesting," commented Nieta, patting him on the back.

Garrett snorted. "Whatever. I'd be much more interested in cutting off Moschet's head, rather than taking his books."

"Look, stop complaining," said Nieta quietly. "We don't want to alert the manor's residents."

"We might not," said Sam. "But Garrett might. But he won't, unless he wants to fight them all by himself."

"You bet!" said Garrett, his eyes getting a fiery look to them. Sam sighed. Wrong choice of a threat.

"Well, Garrett, it's a pity that you don't want to come with us," said Creston smoothly. "I mean, who knows? There could be all sorts of book about old weapons, wars of old, tales of great warriors."

Garrett, who had been about to make a rude comment to Sam, suddenly whirled towards the doorway to the library.

"Come on, let's get this over with!" he called back to them, as he quietly ran across to the library.

"Wait, Garrett!" shouted Star, throwing out a hand. "The gargoyles and couerls!"

Garrett froze, looking around, expecting to hear the flapping of stone wings, or the hisses of the magic cats from the shadows. But…he didn't hear ANYTHING. Not one thing. He looked around. His electric blue eyes didn't see any monsters…or any stationery gargoyles even.

"There's nothing here!" he whispered back towards the rest of the group. "I say we go."

"Wait there," ordered Sam. "You're almost out of the barrier."

"Hurry up!" said Garrett. "I wanna see the library."

Exchanging glances of amusement, the remaining travelers began to follow their friend.

"Ray, it's this way. You're walking towards the kitchen."

"I knew that."

* * *

Creston looked around the cozy room, after the Tipa caravan had disposed of a single chef sulking in the room.

"I never would have guessed that the Gigas Lord was the reading type," he commented thoughtfully.

"Who couldn't love reading?" asked Lianora happily. Garrett was tempted to raise his hand. "I don't know why…just reading thrilling tales recorded down from long ago…it's simply marvelous!"

"So I take it you like reading?" asked Ray seriously, before Mika elbowed him in the ribs. "Oy!"

"So where we these books you told us about?" asked Star, looking at the bookshelves curiously.

"Right over here," said Lianora, pointing to a very large and heavy looking book.

"You just opened a random book without thinking?" asked Nieta. "What if something had happened?"

"I…I guess I should've been more cautious…but I'm still here, so it's okay!" exclaimed Lianora.

Creston reached up and took the book off of his shelf.

"Hey…is this book written by the tribes or the monsters?" asked Ray.

"People…monsters can't write…can they?" asked Mika, confused.

"Well, I suppose the more intelligent COULD…"

"Why would a monster write a book?" asked Sam, looking at Ray. "There's no simple explanation-"

"Why did the crystals appear EXACTLY as soon as miasma flooded the world? In case you haven't noticed, Sam, nothing we really see is normal anymore."

"Touché," muttered Sam.

"I wonder what it would be like to see things from monster's point of you," said Nieta, thinking. "It would probably be interesting-"

"Can we get on with the books?" groaned Garrett. "I want to get back to cutting up beasts."

"I agree," said Creston, leaving out the violent suggestion. "We need to get this little research project done."

And so they read. And read. And read some more (Garrett was banging his head on the bookcase).

Creston closed the book with a loud thump.

"So…who's right?" asked Mika, smirking in victory.

"We have no proof," scoffed Creston. "These are all theories and such on how miasma came to be. No one we know has lived long enough to remember exactly what happened."

"But the facts are still facts," argued Nieta. "It says here that Yuke scientists calculated that the meteor struck a place beyond the Rebena Plains. So if we assume the Abyss is there-"

"Note the word 'assume'," said Creston. "We still have no definite proof of the Abyss. And if there's no proof of the Abyss, then there's no fifth element."

"But the element could still exist, even if the Abyss turns out to be just a fairy tale," said Star.

"Creston's right though," said Sam, looking at Star. "We have no solid evidence."

"What a waste of time," said Garrett, yawning and stretching.

"I'm sorry that I got us side tracked for nothing," apologized Lianora quietly.

"You were trying to help resolve our argument; there's nothing to apologize for," said Creston kindly.

"If only he was that friendly to all of us," joked Ray, snickering with Garrett. Star shot them a disapproving look.

The door opened and they walked out. "Well, at least we didn't have to deal with monsters," commented Nieta cheerfully. "We can just get the myrrh tree and go, if we're quiet. I mean, they probably don't even know that we're-"

_Creeeeeeeeeeak…_

The Tipa caravan stared. Standing outside, his hands on his hips, staring at the caravanners with malevolent triumph, was Jack Moschet.

"Well, well, well," he crooned in his deep voice, red eyes glinting. "My chefs told me there were some rats running around, but I never thought it would be you people again."

"We're not here to quarrel, Jack," said Sam, putting up his hands.

"We come in peace, kupo!" shouted Mog.

"Oh? I suppose that was the case last time, right?" asked Jack, his tone becoming a bit more harsh. His eyes smoldered and burned. "Tell me…as a result of this harmless visit, am I going to be CHASED OUT OF MY FREAKING HOUSE!?"

"It wasn't our fault!" shouted Mika, although she suppressed her guilty conscience as she remembered killing the chefs.

"Not your- YOU KILLED MY CHEFS!" roared the angry mountain creature.

"Well, YOUR chef attacked me first-" began Creston, but Lianora waved a hand, telling him to hush.

"Does it really matter?" asked Garrett, rolling his eyes.

"No! I'll just kill you anyway!" shouted the Gigas Lord, swinging a hairy fist down at the caravanners. However, the adventurers had faced many tougher, stronger, and faster enemies than the Gigas Lord, so dodging his attacks wasn't all too difficult. Star landed a few hits on him, with Lianora hitting him with a powerful ice attack.

The Gigas Lord growled. They were stronger, but he wasn't going to lose again!

"Maggie!" he shouted. His lovely wife emerged from the kitchen, slithering over to join in the brawl. Jack grinned. This time, victory would be his!

* * *

"No more," moaned Jack, batting feebly at Garrett, who was prodding him lightly with his spear. "You win."

After a rather short battle, Jack and Maggie had both succumbed to the might of the Tipa caravan.

Mika was off arguing with Ray.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU STILL CAN'T HIT HER!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?"

Sam sighed. "Well…I guess we can leave now," he said to Creston.

"Hold on," objected Creston. "I think we can get some information out of him and his wife."

Sam's eyes widened. His friend was right! Surely Jack Moschet would know all about the times of old.

"Mr. Moschet, sir," said Sam. "Would you kindly tell us-"

Creston wanted to slam his head into a brick wall when he heard Sam's politeness, and the Yuke was almost pleased to see Garrett take over.

The Lilty shoved the Clavat leader aside, and glared down at Jack with hostility.

"Listen here, and listen good," the hotheaded warrior ordered."You're going to answer every question we ask, and if we think you're lying, we'll do this whole fighting thing again. And you're badly hurt enough right now. So just do as we say. Understand?"

"I understand," growled the Gigas. He had to admit, he had a grudging admiration for this Lilty; strong and forceful. Pity the lad wasn't a monster. He and Jack could've gotten along well.

Garrett nodded for Sam to go forward.

"What can you tell us about the meteor?" asked Sam. "The one that struck the world long ago?"

The Gigas Lord glared at Sam. He was tempted to lie, but…eight armed warriors was something he did NOT want to deal with.

"Very little," he replied, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "I spawned AFTER it had struck. All I know is that once the meteor struck, miasma covered the world…well, except for your villages, of course. Other than that, nothing. There are only theories—I'm guessing you know all about those, seeing as you were in my library. Some say it came from another miasma covered planet. Some say a living thing in the meteor caused miasma to spawn. Some say it was a punishment from the gods. But no one knows the truth."

"Where did it land?" asked Lianora.

"The Abyss, of course," remarked Jack, staring at her as if she was stupid.

"The Abyss? But it's a myth!" said Creston.

"It exists," insisted Jack. "It may not be on your maps and charts, but it is there. It lies beyond Rebena Te Ra. But no one could ever tell you that except a monster. It's been sealed up for years…at least to my knowledge."

"How do you get there?" asked Nieta. The Gigas Lord laughed.

"I just told you, go beyond Rebena Te Ra, deeper into the Rebena Plains. But doing so is very dangerous." He paused, and stared at Ray's eye, and Lianora's wings. "As I'm sure you can imagine."

Ray nodded. Then he spoke. "So…anything else except going beyond the Plains?"

"Yes…there is tell of a key that allows one to pass through the miasma stream that seals off The Abyss…although I do not know what it is. That was the doing of Raem's equal, who sealed off Raem's worst monsters from the rest of the struggling world. Rumor has it that she hid the key far away from The Abyss…on an island or something…"

Mika's eyes lit up. She glanced at Creston in excitement. Creston gave her a signal not to speak.

"But…is the key real?" asked Star in wonder.

"Of course…I heard it from the Lich, who seemed to be the closest to Raem out of all of us…so, a key must exist."

"One last thing," said Garrett. "Take us to the myrrh tree."

"Uh…don't you know where it is?" asked a Maggie who had just returned to consciousness.

"You think we're going to let two giant monsters out of our sights?" asked Ray, arching an eyebrow.

"Fair enough…but I don't think you'll want to go to the tree," said Jack.

"Why not?" asked Sam, bewildered.

"Well…uh…y'see…come on…"

* * *

"IT'S ALREADY BEEN TAKEN!?" yelled Garrett, his eyes wide.

Sam and Lia were standing beneath the tree. No matter how long they stood under the savior tree, no drops of myrrh fell from its sacred leaves.

"Yeah…the Fum caravan took it a little while before you guys came here," explained Moschet.

"Didn't you try and stop them?" asked Mika incredulously.

"I NEED MY SLEEP!" yelled Moschet, annoyed.

"Let's just leave," groaned Nieta, sighing in discontent. "I can't believe it. I mean, I know that the other caravans take myrrh and all, but this is just so crazy-"

"Crazy or not, we're not getting any myrrh out of it," remarked Star. She turned to the two large monsters. "Uh…thanks for helping us…I guess?"

"Whatever," growled Jack, annoyed that he was beaten so easily. "Get the hell out of my house before I call my chefs on you."

Ray opened his mouth to make a sarcastic jibe, but Sam grabbed the Selkie and led him away. "Well…let's get going…"

* * *

"Well that was a waste of time," growled Garrett, as he slouched back to the carriage. "We didn't get anything out of that-"

"Yes we did," said Mika. "We found out that The Abyss is real, and that there is a special key to opening it on an island."

"Well, technically-," began Creston, raising a finger.

"Do you want to stop arguing your point for five minutes?" asked Ray, rolling his eyes. "I might be slightly biased towards her…"

"I wouldn't call sharing a bed 'slightly' biased," mumbled Garrett under his breath.

"But. C'mon. She's right. Get over it, man," said Ray, shrugging his shoulders. Creston stared back at his different colored eyes.

"Fine," said Creston. "Now what."

"I say we go to Veo Lu-," began Sam, but Lianora interrupted him.

"Hold on, Sam. We're running low on supplies, so we should stop by a city or town soon," the female Yuke said.

"I propose that Creston and I go to cure the pump plants with Mog, and the rest of you take a break in Alfitaria," explained Lianora.

"That's a good idea," agreed Creston quickly. "Two of us, as well as Mog, would attract less attention and fight less."

"I think someone's slightly biased," muttered Ray to Mika, who smirked.

"Are you sure?" asked Sam, concerned. "What if you get attacked-"

"Us getting attacked? Boy, that would be something new!" said Creston with a laugh.

"All right…are we all in favor of this?" asked Sam. He, Star, Mika, Ray, Creston, Lianora, and Mog raised their hands.

Garrett glanced at Nieta. "Hey. Do you wanna go with them?" he asked.

"Why?" asked Nieta, confused.

"Well…we're going to Alfitaria and so…y'know…," murmured Garrett, his eyes soft and caring.

Nieta smiled and gave Garrett a brief hug. Sure, he may be violent and grumpy, but he was very caring towards her. That's probably what made her like him so much.

"I'll be fine. I can't keep avoiding the place forever, you know. Besides, if I get into the trouble, the king will help me, according to Ray."

Garrett nodded to Creston and Lianora. "Alright. We agree, too."

"Then it's settled," said Lianora. "Me and Creston will go to Veo Lu Sluice and restore the pump plants."

"Is that what they call it nowadays?" asked Ray innocently. Mika made a violent kicking motion with her leg, and the male Selkie took a few steps away from her quickly.

"So we refill the river, go to Lynari, and then we find that element," said Sam, eyes shining. It had been a long time since they had started travelling together. A long time indeed.

"_How far have we come?"_

* * *

-insert end here-

Favorite Parts: I like how Jack Moschet was punching one moment, and bleeding the next. His fast defeat made me giggle. I also like the Garrett and Nieta moment towards the end of the chapter. That, and Ray. I think Ray shined in this chapter for the occasional witty line of humor.

And so Lianora and Creston (and Mog) are off to refill the Jegon River at Veo Lu Sluice. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang stays at Alfitaria, because there is some stuff and character development that I have to get in.

The next chapter is Lianora's character chapter, and after a few more chapters is Mika's character chapter. I'm excited for both of these, particularly Mika's.

Next Chapter: Lianora and Creston go to restore the pump plants in Veo Lu Sluice. However, things turn out to be more difficult than they expect. When Creston and Lianora are in serious danger, what will happen? And does Lianora have a secret?

Snair: Kehehehehe…it'sss time to review, kidsss. Ssso presss the little button and get to it! Kyahahaha!


	66. Lia's Secret

-swings in one a vine…and hits a branch-

Okay…that failed.

Anyways! It's time for the Veo Lu Sluice Chapter…ROUND TWO. And Lianora's character chapter. Woot.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO LIFE SPELL IN MY FANFICTION, THEY USE PHOENIX DOWNS INSTEAD. UNDERSTOOD?

And also, some of the things about Phoenix Downs in this chapter are untrue. That is all.

Uh…anything else? I can't think of anything…

Ah, whatever…get reading!

* * *

"I knew this place was going to be a little dry, but this is ridiculous," murmured Creston.

"You've got that right, kupo," whispered Mog.

The entire Sluice was completely dry. The many lakes that once filled up most of the area were all gone; dry ravines of land were in there place. Creston glanced over the side of an edge. He looked down and saw a Gigan Toad in the dried part.

"So the monsters have decided to take advantage of the increase in territory," he stated, scowling at the big, blue beast.

"Not only that…there are a lot of treasure chests down in those dried spots," pointed out Lianora. And sure enough, there was a treasure chest hidden behind the large toad. "But we don't need to go down there. I'm not too interested in treasure hunting, and the Selkies aren't with us…"

"Well…we should get this over with, right?" asked Creston. "After all, we can't get to the myrrh tree unless we help these plants, seeing that the keys were recovered with water power."

"Agreed," said Lianora and Mog simultaneously.

"How exactly do we fix the pump plants?" questioned Creston.

"Well…cure spells don't work, as the plants aren't damaged…you need something that gives them more life…" Lia responded.

"Like a Phoenix Down, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Exactly," said Lia, nodding.

"I don't have too many…," remarked Creston. "But we should have enough to fix all of the pump plants."

"I've got some too, don't forget," pointed out Lianora. "And I believe that there are only five or six pump plants."

"Good. We're ready. Come on."

They began to move through the land, quietly, but quickly. Their first opponents were a lizardman and a toad. The lizardman's scaly lip curled.

"Oh…ssso if it isssn't thossse Tipa bratsss who ssstormed our bassse," he hissed. "I recognizzze that moogle carrying your chaliccce."

"Look, that's all in the past," sighed Creston tiredly. He had just about enough of monsters with grudges.

"I don't care! It'sss payback time, feathered freak!" snarled the reptile, lunging forward with its sword. Lianora dodged, and swung her hammer, sending the lizardman sliding backwards. Creston ran forward, but was hit back by a long sticky toad tongue. With a muttered insult, he shot a thunder spell at the toad. When it was stunned, he finished it off.

"Ssscum!" growled the lizardman, swinging his sharp sword at Lianora. Lianora parried the blow at the perfect moment, and knocked the lizard off balance. With another blow, the lizardman stumbled backwards and hit his head on a tree, falling down unconscious.

"It seems like all monsters seem to remember us," said Creston, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "And ONLY us."

"Well, you have to remember, Raem wants us dead," pointed out Lianora. Creston nodded in agreement.

The two Yukes continued to make their way through Veo Lu Sluice.

"I wonder…if there used to be some sort of village here…does that mean that the Yukes of old made the pump plants?" asked Lianora. "Or did they grow naturally?"

"Judging by the key mechanisms and the connections to the Jegon, I'd say they're manmade," remarked Creston thoughtfully. They rounded a corner, where two lizardmen jumped at them.

"Of course, they could also be natural, and the Yukes simply designed the connections the pump plants possess," said Creston.

"That's true…"

"WILL BOTH OF YOU PAY ATTENTION!?" screamed Mog. "YOU HAVE TWO LIZARDMEN LEAPING RIGHT AT YOU!"

"Wha…," asked Creston, before he was hit with a hard attack. Creston staggered backwards, clutching a bleeding arm.

"I thought Yukesss were sssupposssed to be sssmart," hissed the lizardman to his partner. The other scaly warrior laughed in reply. As both lizardmen were chortling, Lianora prepared a Blizzara spell. Both lizardmen were frozen, and Lianora took them both out from there. They were both dead by the time they thawed. Lia helped Creston to his feet.

"Are you hurt?" asked the female Yuke.

"It's not life threatening," said Creston, wrapping a bandage over his arm. "Let's move on. I don't want to be stuck here for too long."

And so they headed on. Eventually, they came across a spear throwing lizardman, a toad, and a griffin. They snapped into action, taking out the spear thrower by reflecting his own spear back at him. The griffin and toad proved to be more troublesome, with the toad freezing Creston as the griffin hit him. However, Lianora used a few powerful thunder spells to take out the toad, and injured the griffin. Creston struck the avian beast's skull, and it fell to the ground.

"That wasn't as easy as I thought," said Creston, panting.

Lianora didn't answer. "Lia?"

"Look," she said, pointing. Creston's eyes followed her hand and found a pump plant.

"We've found one!" he exclaimed. Quickly, he got out a phoenix down and used it.

It had no effect.

"What?" he gasped, in astonishment.

"It didn't work!" said Lia.

Creston clenched a fist. Damnit. How would they be able to fix the plants?

Then Lia gasped, and grabbed Creston's arm.

"Creston! Look!" she said. Creston looked in astonishment as the plant became a vibrant green. The flower began to bloom, and it was soon very large and yellow.

"Amazing," breathed Lianora.

"I wonder…do you think phoenix downs can bring people back to life as well?" asked Creston quietly.

Lia gave him a sad look. He was most likely thinking of his mother…and maybe Selstun.

"Well…I'm sorry, but no…the flowers were only wilted, not dead," she said.

"And a phoenix down can only save you from a mortal blow," said Creston, nodding. "It can't bring you back to life after you die."

They found a button nearby, and with it they received a key, which Creston pocketed. They then travelled down an old staircase into a dried up section of the sluice, where they defeated some monsters, found a few chests, and revived another pump flower.

"Two down…a few more to go," noted Creston, as they left the dried area via the staircase.

The three travelers headed southward and found a door. Creston inserted the key, and the large wooden door opened. Creston scanned the area quickly, then gesturing for his two friends to follow.

They came across a few chests, but nothing more. Eventually, they found another dried up pit. Creston and Lia descended into it. They found a griffin and a bomb. By using terrific teamwork, Lia distracted the griffin, while Creston knocked the bomb into it. After the explosion, the griffin was stunned, and the bomb was dead. Lianora finished off the griffin easily, allow it scratched her with a talon as it rolled over on its back. Then, after looking around for more enemies, they stumbled upon a third pump plant. Lianora healed it this time.

"This is actually pretty easy, kupo," said Mog.

"Yes…not as many lizardmen, either…I guess our stunt at Daemon's Court really decreased their numbers…," said Creston, shrugging.

"Guesss again!" snarled a voice, and a spear flew down from above, striking Lia's hand. Both Yukes looked up to see a large number of lizardmen looking down at them.

"It'sss payback time, filth!" screamed one of them, as all of the reptiles jumped into the ravine to attack them. Creston tried to escape, but they were surrounded. He could also see that two lizardmen were watching them from afar, guarding the staircase.

"Clever…," he muttered, eyeing all of the lizardmen. "Waiting to attack when we were trapped in the ravine."

Lianora looked around at the glittering, cold, yellow eyes. She tried to suppress a shiver. This was all too similar to their first invasion of Daemon's Court.

"Attack!" roared one of the lizards. They all surged forward, mages, swordsmen, and spearmen alike.

Creston cast a Fira spell, knocking two lizardmen back away from him. A spear thrower chucked a spear at him, but Creston ducked. However, another lizardman hit him with a well aimed kick. Creston tumbled to the side, before being hit with a thunder spell. Hurt, but mobile, he kicked a lizardman away from him.

Lianora fought well, having injured two of the beasts, and killing one. But a spear thrower had hit her in the back, and she had to take a step to stop herself from falling. As she was off guard for a moment, a sword wielding lizardman sliced open her thigh. She whirled around and bashed him over the head with her hammer.

Mog was floating high above, whacking a few lizardmen here and there. However, a spear thrower struck him a glancing blow, and the furry creature was knocked off balance.

They weren't doing well. Slowly, but surely, they were losing. Creston could feel himself being worn down. Finally, a lizardman whacked him with his staff, and the Yuke was knocked out of the mob of monsters.

"Shoot!" yelled Lia, dashing out of the mass of attacking lizardmen to kneel by her love. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I've been better," coughed Creston. Mog fluttered over.

"What do we do, kupo?" he asked fearfully. Then his eyes widened. "Lia, watch out!"

Lianora turned quickly to see a lizardman swinging his scimitar down at her. She brought up her hammer quickly to block the blow.

C-R-R-ACK!

Lia stared in horror as her weapon shattered at the contact with the blade. The lizardman grinned a sharp toothed grin, before knocking her back with its tail. Lianora slid backwards next to Creston.

Lianora felt hurt. She struggled to get to her feet. She wanted to fight, but without a weapon to increase her physical and magical abilities, what could she do?

Something near her feet glinted. Lianora knelt down and picked it up. It was the sword of a fallen lizardman. Lia knew in that instant what she could do to save them but…she swore she would never do it again.

But now…she didn't have a choice. She would have to break that vow.

"Come on, girly," crooned the lizardman that had broke her staff. "What'sss the matter? Can't fight without your little magic ssstick-"

He was silenced as his throat was cut by a blade. The creature's eyes bulged as he fell to his knees, and then onto his side. Creston stared in shock.

"What just…," murmured Creston, until he looked up at the sound of a painful cry. His eyes widened.

"Lia!" he gasped. But after that, he was shocked into silence.

Lia was sword fighting. She was fighting about five lizardmen at once, and she was forcing them all backwards. She parried one blow flawlessly, before striking another lizardman with the blade.

Not only was she fighting with a sword. But she was doing it well. She had to be as good as Sam and Star…if not better…

"What in the world?" asked Mog, at Creston's side.

Lianora lashed out with the blade again, stabbing a mage lizardman in the heart. It stumbled backwards, tripping over another one of its dead comrades. Lianora then did a graceful spin and slashed the face of an incoming swordsman. She moved backwards just in time to avoid a spear, which actually hit another lizardman, before she quickly disposed of the spear throwing lizardman himself. She continued to injure and kill more and more of the creatures, not using magic, but only the sword. Finally, she stabbed another sword user, and then the only two remaining lizardmen were guarding the stairs. Hissing and spitting in rage, they both threw spears at her.

Lia was ready for them. She dove under both of the flying objects, did a neat roll to avoid hurting herself on the ground, and sliced up one of the spear throwers using a swift uppercut. The other lizardman stared at his dying comrade in astonishment before his head was severed. Creston's eyes followed the scaly green head that rolled across the bloody landscape.

Lianora inserted the lizardman sword in a belt by her hip. Then she realized what she had done.

"Crap…I hope Creston didn't see it," she whispered.

"Well, he did," said Creston, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

After restoring the remaining pump plants, Creston and Lia sat in front of the large door that led to the golem. Lia had refused to discuss her sword fighting until after they had completed their mission. So Creston, eager to get some answers as usual, had gotten the task done quickly. Soon, the Jegon River would be flowing once more. But for now…

"So…explanation, please?" asked Creston, looking at Lia. "Why did you never tell us you could sword fight? You're even at the same level as Sam and Star, which is amazingly impressive."

Lia sighed, fiddling with her feathery fingers.

Creston was concerned. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"No…you spilled your secrets to me…I should do the same," argued Lia, her voice mild, but firm.

"I was born in Alfitaria, although my mother died during childbirth…and I grew up, learning the blacksmith trade and such…so when you work with making swords…you sometimes want to work with wielding them."

"You wanted to sword fight?" asked Creston, surprised.

"I think growing up surrounded by swords and lances, not to mention the weapon carrying Lilty guards, had an influence on me," said Lia, her voice almost apologetic.

"So then what?" prompted Creston.

"A kindly Clavat showed me how…so I practiced in a small area on the outskirts of town…I don't know how many years I trained but…it came to me naturally."

"Then…why didn't you use a sword until now?" questioned Creston, bewildered.

Lia sighed. "I'm getting that. You see, in Alfitaria, there were many young kids aspiring to become warriors. They would often have fights with wooden swords…and occasionally, official tournaments would be held by the guards, so they could see which kids were the strongest…although they only really cared about the Lilties."

"I wanted to go train with all of the boys who were practicing…hoping to make friends…but three boys walked over and told me to leave."

"What?" asked Creston, not seeing where this story was going.

"There was a Clavat named Dave…," said Lia. "A Lilty named Orge, and another Lilty named Balinn. They said that only the boys were allowed to play…and that girls couldn't be sword fighters…especially Yuke girls."

Creston clenched a fist. "Brats," he spat.

"It wasn't all that bad at that time," said Lianora. "My life was okay. I had a friend next door whose name was Teroak…he was a small Yuke…he often tried to convince the other boys to let me train and spar with them, although they never did."

Mog sat on Lianora's lap. "What happened next, kupo?"

"A tournament came. I didn't want to enter at first, but my father insisted I did. He said that he couldn't have wished for a stronger daughter, and that I should show all of Alfitaria what I was made of. So I entered."

"Well?"

"That didn't make many of the boys who entered happy. I was one of two Yukes, the other being Teroak, and the only girl. Some of the adults weren't too pleased either."

…

"So then what happened?" asked Creston.

He felt a feeling of happiness and regret rise of his companion.

"I won…I defeated Teroak in the semifinals, and Dave in the finals…so I got a prize of some money and such…I was so happy, and my father kept telling me that he was so proud…," she said, her voice somewhat wistful.

"But although me and my dad were happy, all of the boys were upset…even Teroak…he hadn't expected me to win," she continued. "And Dave, being a rather hotheaded Clavat, swore that he'd win against me one day."

"That day came all too soon," Lianora said softly. "I remember it well. It was in the evening when I was walking home from the food market before it closed. I was picking up my father a loaf of bannock."

"I was walking down an alleyway, taking a shortcut home, when Orge and Balinn appeared at the end of the area. Then I noticed more boys at the other end. And then I saw Dave walking towards me, his eyes smoldering."

Lia let out another sad sigh, and scratched her left arm, before continuing.

"They attacked me. They were angry at being shown up by a Yuke and a girl, the Lilties in particular. It seemed that every contestant from the contest was there, and even a few more…my ankle was twisted, so I couldn't run…not that I could outrun them. And I was even sadder when I realized Teroak, my one good friend, was fighting against me too."

"But luck was on my side. I found a stick lying on the ground, and when I picked it up, I began to use it to fight off the boys."

"So…you were all right, kupo?" asked Mog. "You taught them a lesson?"

Lia stroked the moogle's fur.

"Well…yes and no. As I was beating back my opponents, I saw Orge pull out a knife and toss it to Dave…and then Dave lunged at me with it."

Lianora rolled up her left sleeve to reveal a small, ugly scar. Creston let out a gasp of outrage.

"It isn't as bad as it looks," the female Yuke said hastily. "It wasn't even that bad at the time. I was more scared of being stabbed again. I had tripped, and Dave loomed over me, bloody knife in his hand."

"And…then what?" asked Creston, fearing the worst.

"My father showed up, and threw the boy aside," whispered Lia. "I had never seen him so enraged. He picked me up and carried me home, telling all of the boys to stay there. I think they were too scared to disobey. My father then took each boy home, telling their parents what had happened."

"But that doesn't explain-," began Creston, but Lia motioned for him to be quiet.

"My father was disgusted by the parents, who barely punished their children. You find a lot of racism in Alfitaria, particularly towards Yukes, although Selkies have never had it easy. My father then made contact with my grandfather, and we moved to his house in Tipa, where I could continue blacksmithing in peace."

"…so why didn't you start sword fighting again?" asked Creston in wonder.

"….after what I had been through…could I trust the other caravanners not to judge me…what if Garrett had been upset? Or Star? Or Ray?

"You were afraid that you would get hurt again," murmured Creston in realization.

"After about our second year, I pretty much forgot all about sword fighting," said Lianora, shrugging. "I'd become used to using a hammer…but…I guess after my hammer was struck…I had to break my vow."

"I'm glad you did," said Creston. "That skill of yours saved our life."

"Yes well…I'll have to buy a new staff," said Lia.

"What? No. You're buying a sword," said Creston, laughing.

"What? B-but-"

"You just saved our lives with a sword. I'm thinking that I want you to have a sword all the time, because I know I'D feel safer."

"But what if-"

"Lia, you've known the others for years. Do you really expect them to judge you?" asked Creston.

"True…come on," said Lia. "We've got a golem to fight."

"Well…who knows? Maybe Amidatty has fixed the golem."

* * *

Well, it turned out that Amidatty HADN'T fixed the golem, but after a rather short battle, the two Yukes managed to get by. They arrived at the myrrh tree, which actually had myrrh this time.

"Thank the gods," said Creston in relief. "I was afraid we made this trip for nothing."

"But we didn't," answered Lianora. "We've restored the pump plants, and the Jegon River."

"And you've restored your sword skills, kupo!" added Mog.

"Come on, let's head back," said Creston briskly. "I don't want us to take too long. And I can't wait to see the look on Garrett's face when you return with a scimitar."

* * *

D-d-d-done!

Favorite Parts: Lianora's story and Creston's last words in this chapter. I also like image of Lianora fighting all of the lizardmen gracefully.

No…I didn't include the boss fight. The only reason is because the golem doesn't gain any new tricks, and the boss fight with him isn't all that entertaining. Plus, we've seen him once, we don't need to see him again (although he DOES reappear).

Lianora's story- Why did I choose this for her? Well, I'd thought about it for a long time, and I thought the story was too…traditional. Same tribe pairings, the same quest…it was all the same. Although I have included some different aspects (the defeat at Daemon's Court, for example)…it was still too…bland for my tastes.

Then I began to think about the characters, and I decided that I wanted one to have a weapon that they don't usually use. The closest thing I had had was Sam not using a shield. I made the choice between Mika (who was going to use a Lilty lance) and Lia (who uses a Clavat sword). But when I got a better idea for Mika's character chapter, I decided that a physical Yuke would be much more interesting. If you look throughout the series, you'll notice that Lianora uses many more physical attacks then Creston, and some monsters note this (the Lich, if you squint).

So Lianora uses a sword. But when she was young, she was beaten up (nothing else!) and got too scared to use one again. She locked up her talent, and kept it deep inside, but it was awakened when she and Creston were in danger. So now…she's gonna be more of a physical fighter, but she can use magic still, too.

So that's Lianora's character chapter! Hurrah! Next up is Mika, which I can't wait to do!

Next Chapter: While Lianora and Creston were killing lizards, what were the others doing. Nieta explains her tale a bit more to Garrett, and Mika and Ray go through some annoying problems. And Sam and Star are wondering about the world itself!

Sepulcherre: Hello…I'm doing a review request this time around…so there. Now review, you mind-controlled reading slaves! MUAHAHAHA!

Sukull: Quiet down up there! We're trying to get some sleep.

Sepulcherre: Shut up!


	67. Within the City

Hello hello! Welcome to another chapter. Hurrah!

So in this chapter, our heroes are on the train to Hogwarts-

Dragon Zombie: Wrong story, idiot.

Oh? It is? Well then…uh…oh! Now I remember!

So this is basically what the other caravanners did while Lianora and Creston were off in Veo Lu Sluice, and yada yada yada…

Let's get this over with! –fires the cannon-

* * *

"When are they gonna come back?" moaned Garrett, stabbing Longinus into the ground. "I swear to god…I'm so bored."

"I can't believe you like fighting more than relaxing," said Nieta, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're crazy."

"I'm just eager to get this whole searching-for-the-fifth-element thing over with," retorted Garrett.

"I don't see why," said Nieta, shrugging. "Don't you find it interesting?"

Garrett gave her a look. She laughed. "Point taken."

"I don't see how you can find it interesting," said Garrett, scratching his head. "It's so boring."

"No it isn't…it's like…like we're taking a story and making it real," said Nieta, her eyes shining in wonder.

Garrett looked at her, before cracking a grin. "That sounded really corny."

She smacked him playfully. "Hush!"

They sat quietly for a little while. Garrett looked over at Nieta, and frowned; she was staring up at the king's palace in the distance.

"Thinking about your old life?" he asked.

"A little bit," she admitted. "But I like my new one much better."

Garrett perked up for a moment. "Hey…wait a minute."

"What?" asked Nieta.

"You have a sister…so…why wasn't she chosen to marry Rollo?"

"Rollid," corrected Nieta. "And the reason is because the king didn't know that I HAD a sister."

Garrett's eyes narrowed in confusion. "But…why would your sister be hidden and not you?"

"Oh, I was hidden at first, but when I was a child, I ran outside one day, and I was seen by a bunch of people. When the others decided to search our house, my sister Starla was dressed as boy. She went by the name "Starf" and dressed up as a boy…so she was completely safe."

"Oh…," said Garrett. "…that really sucks."

Nieta giggled a little. "I don't know…I think it's a bit funny now that the whole incident is behind me. It'll certainly be something to tell kids when I'm older…"

Garrett gaped at her. "Well…I dunno what I'd tell…my life isn't that exciting…"

"Tell them how the noble knight and his friends saved the princess," suggested Nieta, smirking.

"Noble knight and his friends? What are you talking about- oh," said Garrett, blushing. Noble? She thought HE was NOBLE? He was brash, impulsive, violent, tough, and why was he blushing? Guys don't blush!

"Garrett…you're a good person. And if you can't see it, then I'll make you see it," said Nieta, leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

"Pass it over here!" shouted Ray, running backwards, moving around a scared looking civilian. "I'm open!"

"Got it!" cried Mika, throwing the object over to her boyfriend. Ray caught the striped apple in the air.

"Alright, now toss it back!" she yelled. Then she saw Ray take a bite out of the striped fruit. "Hey!"

"Delicious," he said, still chewing the apple in his mouth. Mika stomped over to him and swiped the apple out of his hand.

"What the…," she muttered. The apple was just about a core. "You ate it that fast!?"

"I was hungry," pointed out Ray, smirking at his female friend. Mika glared up at him, annoyed.

"I guess I'll just half to find a different way of getting some apple," she said. She yanked Ray towards her and kissed him deeply, her tongue in his mouth, tasting the delicious taste of striped apples.

Ray seemed a little dazed. "I should eat striped apples more often…and that's saying something," he joked, cracking a grin.

"Oh please," scoffed Mika. Then she stiffened, and looked over Ray's shoulder. Ray noticed her smirk shift to a frown quick. Ray gave her a confused look, before looking behind himself. There, a few meters away, was a Lilty frowning at them. Ray gave him a strange look.

"What's wrong? It's rude to stare!" he called. The Lilty just scowled, and walked off.

"What was his problem?!" exclaimed Mika hotly.

Ray smirked. "I guess the pompous citizens of Alfitaria can't handle a couple of kisses," he said, snickering. He sat down on a bench.

"No…it's not that," said Mika, her eyes burning. Ray looked over at her. "I've seen plenty of people kissing in public around here! Why the heck do we get scowled at?!"

"Maybe they remember that whole argument we had with the king in our second year," said Ray.

"Oh please, that was years ago," remarked Mika, scornfully.

"True," agreed Ray. "But some people never get over-"

"Y'know what? I know why," said Mika. She sat down next to Ray.

"It's because we're Selkies. It doesn't matter what we do, how we act; they just see us as the lowest of the low. No matter what we do…that's all we'll ever be to them."

Ray seemed concerned.

"Well…not everyone is like that," he pointed out. "Selkies reside in some villages-"

"But still…the majority of the world treats us like crap!" growled Mika. She wanted to yank her hair out in frustration. "Ugh!"

"Calm down, Mika, sheesh!" said Ray, grabbing her and holding her close. Mika sighed. Ray had mellowed out over the years; in contrast, she had become a bit more hotheaded…a little more confrontational.

"Life was never easy for the Selkies…that's a fact," said Ray. "And it makes us stronger, because all of us know we can handle all of that crap."

"It's just not fair!"

"It's not fair that most of our world is uninhabitable. And trust me, I know a lot about how life is cruel."

Mika felt guilty. "I'm sorry…I'm not trying to say-"

"I know. Don't waste your words," said Ray, scratching above his left eye. Although the scar wasn't horrible, it had spoiled his good looks.

"I get that life is hard but…oh look, even now!" shouted Mika, pointing. A few people were staring at them as they walked by.

"Well…look…I think you need to stop worrying about how others feel about you," said Ray. "I don't really care about how others view me."

"Why IS that?" asked Mika. "How can you never get mad when others look down on you?"

"Because the only one whose opinion really matters is you, stupid," said Ray, winking. Mika stared, as he leaned in, grinning mischievously. At the same time, a few staring people gasped. Ray stopped for a moment, smirked, and then flipped them off. Maybe he hadn't become as mellow as Mika had thought…

"Screw the others; it's us that count."

* * *

"I always wonder about it," murmured Sam, as he stared into the deep blue sky. Star was lying in the grass next to him.

"The world?" she asked.

"Yeah…just…how did everything get like this?" asked the leader of the Tipa Caravan. "I mean…all of this stuff about the fifth element…and the Abyss…"

"It's weird…it's as if we're crossing over from reality into a fairytale," said Star.

"I wonder if my parents ever found out," stated Sam, half to himself. "Did they ever unlock the mysteries of the world? Or did they just happen to stumble upon the fifth element by chance?"

"Well, you said they found it," pointed out Star.

"True…I just don't know what to think about a lot of things anymore. The world's a strange place, Star."

"It gets stranger every day," agreed the female Clavat.

"But no matter how strange our current lives are…at least we have each other," said Sam, smiling.

"Yes…that's true…and as long as I have you-"

"Can we stop with the gooey love?" asked a disgusted voice. Sam and Star got up to see Garrett marching towards them.

"Creston and Lia have just gotten back," growled the Lilty. "Let's go."

Sam gave Star a glance. "What's bothering him?"

* * *

"Lia!" gasped Nieta, staring at her Yuke friend. "When did you get a sword?"

"Well, I picked one up while we were in Veo Lu Sluice…but I made this one on the way back," she explained.

"Do you even know how to use it?" asked Garrett curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"No Garrett; I'm trusting her with something she's never used before," said Creston sarcastically.

"Well, you probably would," mumbled Garrett.

"Can we just get out of this town?" asked Mika impatiently. "I want to get to Leuda; I'd feel more at home there than here."

"Most people would see it the other way around," said Creston under his breath. Sam gave him a warning glance.

After Garrett finished interrogating Lianora about her new weapon, the gang left Alfitaria behind. They were headed for the Lynari Isle.

It was time to find the fifth element.

* * *

Annnnnnd…we're NOT DONE!

…

Okay we're done.

Favorite Parts: I think this chapter was sort of mediocre…average, at least. But one thing I am proud of is the racism scene- I think it defines the Selkie life quite well.

This chapter was mostly fluff, but there is SOME foreshadowing…particularly for a certain character chapter coming up…

But…no spoilers. Giggle giggle.

Next Chapter: Despite the Tipa caravan looking forward to their next destination, there is a certain uneasiness in the air…of pain, of suffering, and death itself…the question is, what does it mean?

Sukull: I'm reviewing. So review.

Ray: That was really lame.

Sukull: I'm dead, what do I care?


	68. Death on the Roads

-opens the door- Welcome…do come in.

Okay, enough creepiness.

Although I suppose it's necessary, due to the plot of this chapter. This is going to be a dark chapter…dark…very dark. Like…solar eclipse dark.

So I suppose a cheery opening author's note is just what we need.

LET'S GET IT GOING THEN! BWAHAHAHA!

* * *

Star was backing away in horror. She had tears streaming down her face as she cowered in fear.

Rex loomed over her, a sword in his hand. "Time to die, little sis," he crooned. "Twinkle, twinkle, little Star…"

"AHHH!" screamed Star.

Star's eyes opened up, and she sat up, panting. She was gasping for air as she looked around.

Ray was leaning against the carriage, watching as the sun slowly began to rise. "You all right?" he asked cheerfully, despite his tired appearance.

Star let out a sigh of relief. It had only been a nightmare…phew.

"I'm fine…just…just a stupid nightmare," she said.

Ray let out a little chuckle. "Well, here's hoping you didn't wet your sleeping bag. Anyways, get back to sleep—you've got a couple of hours before we go, okay?"

"Alright," said Star, sighing again. She curled back up in her sleeping bag, and closed her eyes.

Despite the fact that it had only been a dream…something told her that this was the start of a bad day.

* * *

"I still hate these things," complained Nieta, as they trudged through the miasma stream. "They're just so gloomy!"

"Well…the weather outside isn't too grand, either," pointed out Ray. That was true. There were ominous gray clouds in the sky, as if a storm was coming."

Garrett, for once, seemed a bit nervous. "Do any of you have this weird feeling…that something's gonna happen at all?"

Mika looked at him. "What do you mean?" the Selkie asked, curious.

"I don't know I just have the strangest sense that something bad might go down," said Garrett. Star was listening intently. She had that same feeling, too.

"Like…a fight between us?" asked Sam. He was HOPING that wouldn't be what was bothering the Lilty.

"Nah , it's just…well, I can't explain it."

"Try using words that have more than two syllables," suggested Creston. Garrett growled at him.

"I'm serious!"

"So was I."

Lia remained silent. Despite Garrett's…limited knowledge, most of his instincts were correct. Maybe they really did have something to worry about.

"Well, I think we should be careful, just in case, kupo," said Mog.

"Fine," said Ray. "But I think you're worrying about nothing, Garrett."

Garrett shifted his feet uneasily. "You wouldn't say that if you felt like this," he muttered. He looked around at the others. Star met his gaze, and she nodded. So she felt it too. That was a relief.

Garrett was happy to know that he was still sane.

Or he and Star could've both lost their marbles.

* * *

A short while after they had exited the miasma stream, they spotted a crowd of people alongside the road.

"What the heck's going on?" asked Ray, staring.

"I don't know…but I've got a bad feeling about this!" said Sam.

"Oh? NOW you all agree with me!" shouted Garrett.

"This isn't the time for arguing," said Lia (although Creston looked as if he was about to make a response). "Come on, let's move!"

They rushed over towards the people to find that they were members of the Alfitaria caravan. There also seemed to be a few regular townsfolk from the great Lilty city.

Surrounded by the Lilties was the Black Knight, yelling and slashing at something that no one else could see.

Lianora looked around, and recognized the boy she had met before in Alfitaria.

"Give…me…back…my…MEMORY!" roared the Black Knight. He continued to leap about in a frenzied attempt to destroy the thing that was taunting him.

He continued to jump around, shouting furiously, until he finally landed in front of the boy.

Mika stared. Despite being such a young child, the boy was holding a spear!

"Huh? What's this?" asked the Black Knight, his voice now bewildered. "A young boy…"

Mika saw what happened next before it did. The boy yelled "For my father!" He ran forward, away from his mother, and stabbed the Black Knight in the chest.

Nieta gasped. Garrett's eyes widened. Lia tried to get close to help, but Creston pulled her back. Mika had a look of dismay on her face, and Sam was holding Star tightly. Ray and Mog just stared.

The Black Knight was breathing heavily, mortally wounded. He stared at the boy in front of him.

Then he spoke, but his voice had become calmer now…warm, even.

"Leon…," he whispered. He turned to his wife. "And Johanna…yes! I've found it!"

With those last words, the Lilty fell to the ground. He did not get up.

The Black Knight was dead.

Silence. Garrett broke it. "What'd I tell you? I had a bad feeling."

* * *

The Tipa caravan had taken a break in Marr's Pass. The Alfitaria caravan had taken the Black Knight's body. The caravanners, meanwhile, were silently grieving.

Creston sighed, before looking over at his arch-rival. "I suppose you were right, Garrett," he admitted.

"I just can't believe it," said Sam, his voice hoarse. "He just…died…right there."

"I know you're shocked, Sam, but those words aren't helping," said Lianora.

Sam looked like he was going to argue, but Star laid a hand on his shoulder.

"She's right, Sam," she whispered.

Ray stood far off, tossing an apple. "We should've done something."

"It happened in a moment's notice," said Lia. "There wasn't a chance to-"

"We still should've tried," growled the Selkie. He looked as if he was going to take a bite from the apple, before he chucked away. He wasn't hungry anymore.

"I guess it could be expected…," said Creston. "It's just sad…a sad end for a mighty warrior."

Garrett closed his eyes. He hoped that that would NEVER happen to him.

"Well…as sad as this is," said Sam, getting up and stretching. "We can't stay here. I want to reach the Jegon River by nightfall."

"He's got a point," agreed Mika, also getting to her feet. "We can't be grieving forever. Right?"

Ray nodded. He knew that for sure.

They gathered up their belongings, and left the town.

* * *

Ray passed his water flask to Mika, who took a big sip. "Not so much, okay! I'm almost out!"

"Oh please, you can refill it at the river."

"What if it's still dried up?"

"It's not! The Yukes took care of that problem. Don't be so negative, bandanna boy."

"Is this really a positive day?"

"…touché."

Sam steered the caravan along the path. For some reason, although they had never known him, they felt a strange sorrow in seeing the Black Knight's death.

'_I wish I HAD known him,_' thought the Clavat leader.

Sam continued to stare out at the path before him, until something caught his eye, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Far away…it looked as if something was on the ground…Sam squinted, his eyes not being as sharp as the Selkie's. Then they widened. It looked like…

"Guys! Up ahead! Someone's hurt!" the Clavat shouted. Ray turned to him in confusion, before looking over. Swearing, the Selkie dashed off, Mika and Nieta on his heels.

Sam urged the paopamus to go faster (being careful not to hurt the creature), and he eventually pulled the carriage up beside body.

Ray was holding the figure in his hands. Sam looked down, and felt his blood run cold; it was Meh Gaj, the elderly member of the Striped Brigands.

Creston was checking every part of the old man, looking for all signs of a pulse, breathing, and life. Eventually, after feeling the man's wrist, the Yuke shook his head. Nieta let out a soft "No…"

"Help, kupo!" yelled a voice. Ray looked up to see the striped moogle, Artemicion, hopping towards them. Quickly, Ray shut the old thief's eyes. He was at peace now.

"Bal Dat is over there!" gasped the moogle. "Please, come help!"

* * *

"So…Meh Gaj is dead…," whispered Bal Dat, coughing a little bit.

"Stay still," ordered Creston sternly, checking Bal Dat's various injuries. Thankfully, none of them were too horrid.

Bal Dat let out a humorless laugh. "That old fool…he sacrificed himself to protect me from a monster…idiot got himself killed by a rogue lizardman."

"Well…what are we gonna do now, kupo?" asked Artemicion timidly.

Bal Dat turned his head towards his furry pal. "Huh?"

"I mean…are we gonna keep thieving without Meh Gaj?"

Ray looked them over thoughtfully. "You know…you could always move to Tipa," he said.

This statement was met with shock from both the Brigands and the caravan. Star's eyes widened, and Creston whirled his head to glare at the Selkie. Ray met the Yuke's gaze calmly.

Sam cleared his throat. "Ray, you can't make decisions for the village," he said, awkwardly.

"Sam, you're a good friend, but just shut up for a minute," commanded Ray. Sam was silent, but whether this was out of obedience or shock, there was no way of knowing.

"I'm an adult," said Ray. "I have my own house, I make my own decisions. Now…do you want to move to Tipa and live in my house for a while?"

Silence. Then Bal Dat got up.

"I appreciate the offer," the Selkie said. "But no. I'm not the kind to settle down after all this time. And besides…the old man would want me to move on…I'm gonna keep being a dirty, rotten thief and make him proud!"

Mika grinned.

"I'll help too!" shouted Artemicion.

"Arty…," said Bal Dat, his eyes softening. Then his gaze became determined. "C'mon, let's go! We've got people to steal from!"

After they had ran off, Creston folded his arms. "What were you thinking when you offered them a home in Tipa?" he asked in disbelief.

"I was thinking that I didn't give a damn about what you thought, Creston," shot back Ray. Creston just let out an annoyed huff of defeat.

* * *

Sam was sitting next to Star in the caravan, looking at the ochre sunset in the sky. Sam was almost thankful that the day was ending…it sort of relieved him that such an awful day was over.

Garrett was steering the caravan along, a quiet Ray seated next to him.

"Watch the road," rasped the Selkie, pointing out a rather large rock. Garrett nodded without even a single retort.

Everyone was simply unwilling to argue…or interact at all. Some, like Creston, chose to grieve in silence. The Yuke hadn't said anything since his dispute with Ray.

"Sam?" Star's voice snapped Sam out of his reverie.

"What is it?" asked Sam.

"Why is it…why do people die?" asked Star. "I know it's a childish question, but…"

Sam sighed. "I don't know, Star, I don't know…I guess it just has to happen…"

Silence. Star began to sniffle. All of this pain…this suffering…this death…it was all too much for her.

She felt Sam's reassuring arms wrap around her. "It's all right," he soothed.

"It's NOT all right!" cried Star. Garrett glanced back, but Ray signaled him to look forward. Sam hugged her tighter.

"When is it going to stop, Sam?" she whispered. "When is all of this going to stop?"

Sam looked at the sunset again.

"When WE stop it," he said. "We're the only ones that know…the only ones that can…as soon as we get that mythical element…the downfall of miasma will begin…"

"The miasma…will fall?" asked Star.

"We'll destroy it," said Sam, his voice strong. "I promise."

But…was all of this an omen? Sam desperately hoped it wasn't. But deep down, his heart was feeling fearful…

* * *

Wow…just wow…this chapter really IS depressing.

Favorite Parts: I think the scene at the end with Sam and Star was really powerful. Sam's determination to solve the problem, and Star's suffering with everyone else were both good. That's one of the things I like about Star; she can feel the happiness and pain of others sincerely. She's the heart of the caravan.

This chapter was hard to write…so much sorrow and sadness. And TWO deaths in one chapter…

Is it a bad omen? Could this be horrifying foreshadowing of events to come?

Well, I'm not telling.

Anyways…next chapter is Leuda…Mika's character chapter is comin' up. And boy, is this one different.

Next Chapter: The Tipa caravan arrives in Leuda, and they are greeted warmly. However, despite the cheery atmosphere, there are problems beneath the surface. One caravanner is facing old demons, the others are facing some annoying problems, and when two caravanners lash out at each other after an accident, what will happen?

Sukull: Review or die.

Ray: That was cheerful.


	69. What happens in Leuda, stays in Leuda

SO! WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHAPTER!

And so we have Leuda + Mika's character chapter, which equals fun!

I've been really eager to write this chapter. I've waited to do this for a long time.

And so…we shall begin…-bows-

RARGH! –EXPLOSION-

**

* * *

**

"We're here, ya scurvy dogs!" shouted Tristan as the ship headed for the shore.

Garrett was breathing deeply, with a comforting Nieta beside him. "Thank…god…," he gasped.

Creston laughed, leaning against the mast. "The great Garrett, defeated by water."

"How about the great Creston, beaten by my fist?"

"That's enough, you two," said Nieta sternly.

Sam was knocking on the door to his and Star's room for the night. "Are you done getting dressed?"

"Almost…just give me one minute…okay…good!"

Star walked out of the room, and Sam stared. Star wasn't dressed in her usual coat and pants. Instead, she was in a somewhat short skirt, sandals, and a top that showed off her chest a little (which Sam had somehow not noticed until now). Sam gaped. Star looked way more like Mika than Star.

Star smiled shyly. "How do I look?"

"Smokin' hot!" came a voice across the deck. Sam glared at Ray, who smirked.

"Idiot!" scolded Mika, yanking Ray's hair.

"Hey!"

Mika was dressed the same as usual, except that her skirt was a little shorter and her clothes seemed a little bit lighter. Lianora was dressed the same (Yukes rarely changing their clothes), while Nieta had removed some of her armor to help her stay a bit cooler.

As for the boys, Sam was wearing a short sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts so he wouldn't be sweating. Ray had completely gotten rid of his tunic, walking around with a few straps over his torso, his dark blue pants, boots and nothing more. Creston, like Lia, hadn't changed, while Garrett flat out refused to take off his armor, despite Mika's warnings about the desert heat.

As the caravanners began to hop off of the ship, Mika turned around to address them all.

"Now listen here, guys," she said. "I was born here, and I grew up here. Leuda is a town of thieves. Keep your eyes on your wallet, and your hands on your belongings. Don't let anyone swipe your stuff."

"Got it," said Ray.

"I'd like to see them try," growled Garrett. Nieta rolled her eyes.

Mika led them into the small town. They saw a lot of activity going on in the small town. There were Selkies trading and buying things, little Selkie children hopping on a trampoline, Selkies conversing, Selkies fishing, Selkies laughing and joking, Selkies eating and drinking…

All in all…there were Selkies. Sam tried not to feel uncomfortable, but the Tipa caravan stuck out like a sore thumb. As he was thinking this, the Selkies began to stop their current activities and stare at their newfound guests. Eventually, the bustling village from before became quiet, except for a few mumurs and whispers.

Sam scratched his sheepishly. "Uh…hello-"

"Why are you here?" called out a Selkie's voice rudely.

Sam was taken aback by their attitude. Then, a voice from behind him yelled back.

"Talk to me like that again, Pal Gutt, and I'll kick your ass!"

Sam turned to see Mika walking forward, a challenging gleam in her eyes. The whispers started again.

"Is that…?"

"No, it couldn't be…she's much older."

"But a lot of time has passed."

Then a large Selkie with blonde hair stepped towards them. He has light blue eyes, and his hair was spiked. He had a tattoo of the Selkie symbol on his right arm, and he was wearing a green tunic. He examined Mika closely, then grinned.

"Welcome home, Mika," he said.

"Kar Redge?" asked Mika, her eyes widening. "Is that you?"

"The very same," he said, winking. He turned to the town. "IT'S MIKA!"

Silence. Then loud woops and cheers could be heard, as the townspeople rushed forward.

"Welcome home!"

"It's been so long!"

"You're all grown up!"

Sam exchanged a glance with Star. The Selkies' attitudes had changed rather quickly.

"Where have you been?" asked Pal Gutt.

"We moved to Tipa," said Mika.

"Is your mother doing well?" asked a female in the crowd.

"Yeah, she's okay," confirmed Mika.

"So why are you here now?"

"I joined the Tipa caravan and we're going to the Lynari Desert," explained Mika. "We need myrrh, and we're looking for treasure."

Pal Gutt laughed. "Treasure hunting! Same old Mika."

Mika gave him a smile. The crowd began to depart, returning to their old activities. A few waved to their old friend as they left, and Mika returned their greetings.

She felt an arm around her. "Quite the popular one, eh?" asked Ray, grinning.

"Oh, shut it," she replied.

"Oy! Mika!"

Mika turned to see Kar Redge returning with two new Selkies. One of them was a girl with bright red hair that was fairly long, but shorter than Mika's. She, too, had a tattoo of the Selkie emblem, although unlike Kar's, hers was on her thigh. She was wearing a short skirt, and had hazel eyes. She had a radiant smile on her face, and she was waving to Mika.

The other Selkie was a male, with long, dark green hair tied in a ponytail. His eyes were dark green, and he was wearing a black tunic. He had two tattoos of the Selkie symbol, one on each hand. He seemed less excited than his companions, but he still had a warm smile on his face as he stared at Mika.

"Look who I've found," said Kar, still smiling.

"I can't believe you're back!" shouted the girl.

Mika turned to her caravan. "Let me introduce my old friends," she said. She walked to Kar. "You've already met Kar."

She stepped over to the female Selkie. "This is Lan Thraw."

She walked towards the last Selkie. "And this is Taka Vyne."

"Meet my new friends and fellow caravanners. Sam is the boy Clavat, Star is the female Clavat. The one in the armor is Garrett, and the one next to him is Nieta. Lianora is the female Yuke, and Creston is the boy one. Ray is the other Selkie, and Mog is the moogle."

"Good to meet ya!" said Kar, cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you!" said Lan. Taka just gave a casual wave.

"Hey, do you mind if we take Mika off your hands for awhile?" asked Lan. "We wanna catch up with her a little…talk about the old days."

"It's no problem," said Ray (Sam looked like he wanted to argue). "We'll just hang around I guess."

"Great," said Kar. He made a motion with his hand. "Come on, Mika. Let's get in the shade. It's too hot out."

Mika nodded, and they walked off. The other caravanners watched them go.

"Well, see ya around guys," said Ray, walking off as well.

"Where are you going?" asked Garrett.

"That trampoline looks fun," was the Selkie's reply. Garrett shook his head in annoyance.

"What is he, eight?"

"Oh come on, let's look around," said Star, pulling Sam along. Sam laughed and allowed himself to be dragged on.

"Well, I'll do the supply hunting this time," offered Creston. Mog and Lia followed him.

"Great. Well, Nieta, I guess it's just you and me," groaned Garrett. "Nieta?"

He was shocked to see that she had ran off with Sam and Star.

"Great…I'm all alone in a town of thieves. Friggin' wonderful."

**

* * *

**

Mika relaxed as she sat on the floor. "So, how have you guys been?" she asked casually.

"I've been well enough," said Kar. But he was the only one who returned her greeting. Taka remained silent, staring out at the sea, while Lan was pacing.

"Uh…is there something bugging you, Lan?" asked Mika.

Lan turned to face Mika. "What are you doing, hanging around with those guys?" she asked, frowning.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Mika, confused at this change of attitude.

"I mean, what are you doing traveling with those stupid sprout heads and Yukes?" asked Lan, folding her arms.

"Hey! They're not stupid!" said Mika indignantly.

"Oh please. You know how dumb they are. They treat us Selkie's like crap, remember?"

"No, they don't!"

Lan glared at her. "When did you get this idea? You used to hate them too, remember?"

"I never HATED them…," argued Mika.

"Well, you still have that Selkie emblem tattoo on your shoulder, right?" asked Lan. Mika nodded reluctantly. "Remember why it's there? We swore that we would never accept friendship from the other tribes! There all just a bunch of racists!"

"Well…they're my friends now," said Mika. She did not like the direction this conversation was heading. "Not all of the other tribes are racists."

But she remembered the glares she had gotten in Alfitaria. Was that really true? Maybe every Clavat, Yuke, and Lilty really DID look down on the Selkies.

"We sorta thought you were just after their money," said Kar awkwardly. "Did you get any?"

"No, I didn't," said Mika coolly. She liked Kar's kindness, but when it came down to it, he was a very greedy Selkie.

"Well, that's a pity," said Kar with a sigh. "Getting loot in Lynari is dangerous nowadays."

"I still can't believe you're hanging out with all of those guys now!" snarled Lan angrily. "What about us? Heck, what about the oath?"

"You've never left this island," retorted Mika. "Not all of the tribes are racist. Sam and Star have never discriminated against me. And I'm still hanging out with a Selkie! Look at Ray!"

"I don't like him," spoke up Taka for the first time. "They way he's acting, it's like you two are together. You know…as a couple."

Mika opened her mouth to reply to Taka, but she closed it, and looked away.

Kar looked away as well. "Oh boy," he muttered.

"Are you?" asked Taka, rising. His green eyes bored into Mika's.

"Yes…we are," said Mika. Taka's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What!" he asked, clenching a fist. "You…you and…him!"

"Yes. Me and Ray are 'an item'," said Mika, her eyes narrowing.

"What about me?" asked Taka, his voice sorrowful. "Did you forget about me when you were out adventuring?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Taka?" asked Mika, folding her arms. Great. First Lan, now Taka.

"Mika, you know for a fact that I've always loved you! I used to tell you that all of the time before you moved away from here!"

Mika rolled her eyes. "We were kids, Taka."

"Even so…you were the only one for me," said Taka. Mika tried not to feel guilty. All of this wasn't her fault! She and Taka used to be…close…but Mika had never had any feelings for him. She had known that Taka had a crush on her, but Mika just thought it was a stupid first crush. When she had moved away, she had expected Taka to move on and find someone else. But apparently, the opposite had happened; her old friend's feelings had only intensified!

"It was just a game we were playing, Taka," said Mika, struggling not to lose her temper. "A childish game-"

"Maybe to you," said Taka, his eyes narrowing accusingly. "But not to me. What does that oaf have that I don't!"

"He's not an oaf!" growled Mika, finally letting some anger show. "He's kind, friendly, and strong."

"Doesn't look too strong, judging by that eye," said Lan with a sneer. Mika threw a look of fury at her old friend.

"He only has that scar because he sacrificed his eye to save me," she snarled.

"Oh, how romantic," crooned Lan sarcastically. "He's not even a real Selkie. He wasn't born here. Let me guess…he doesn't feel any animosity towards the other tribes at all."

"No, he doesn't care what they think," retorted Mika hotly. That was one of the reasons she was attracted to him.

"I bet he's the one who put all of those dumb ideas in your head," said Taka. "After the times of war, all of those Clavats and Yukes preached about equality…ha! We'll never be equal to them, and they know it."

"As I said before, you've never left this place, have you?" asked Mika. None of them responded. "Right. So how do you know what it's like out there?"

"We know enough that we'd rather stick among our own kind, rather than with a bunch of fools," said Lan.

"Guys, calm down-," began Kar, but Taka talked over him.

"And I know for a fact that I would remain faithful to the one who loved me," hissed Taka, his eyes smoldering (not unlike an angry Garrett). "I would have never cheated on them—especially not with a one eyed fool!"

"Cheated—I—WE WERE NEVER TOGETHER!" shouted Mika. Then she sighed, and stroked her hair for a moment.

"I know how you feel. I know because I used to feel that way. I used to dislike the other tribes. I used to trust no one. I was still like that when I moved to Tipa…but then, after I decided to journey the world…I was changed."

"My fellow caravanners…no, my friends…they've been beside me…they've saved my life more times than I can count…they're…my family."

Kar nodded in understanding. Lan, on the other hand, had a thunderous look.

"And we're not!" she screeched. "When the hell did you become so stupid, Mika?"

Mika was about to make a response, when Taka spoke.

"And what about that Selkie?" whispered Taka, stepping over to Mika. "Why is he more than family?"

"Because…I just…I love him," responded Mika.

"And I love you. But you never take me seriously. Why is that?" asked Taka. Not waiting for a response, he leaned in and kissed Mika.

At that moment, Ray looked into the tent, trying to find Mika. Only Kar saw him, Mika was focusing more on Taka kissing her, and Lan was mumbling out angry remarks. Ray's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. His eyes met Kar's, who shook his head. Ray gave him a skeptical look, and left without a word, heading back towards the trampoline (he was aiming to beat the record).

A few moments after Ray walked away, Mika snapped out of her daze, and pushed Taka off of her. She then smacked him across the face. Taka staggered backwards, and met her gaze challengingly.

"For starters, Ray never does THAT," said Mika, disgusted. "Ray doesn't lock lips with me against my will. Second of all, Taka, you're just a friend. I'm sorry, but you'll always be just a friend to me. Nothing more."

Taka stared at her, looking devastated. Then he walked out from beneath the tent.

"You'll see Mika…I won't give up," he whispered to himself, his eyes hardening.

* * *

"So…you're friends with Mika, eh?" said the merchant, giving some goods to Creston.

"Yes," said the Yuke, taking the items. "She's been with us for over five years now."

"Is that so?" said the merchant. "Who woulda thought?"

"What do you mean?" asked Creston.

"Well…y'see…Mika used to hate the other tribes with a passion. Her father was once in the Leuda caravan, but they got in a crash with Marr's Pass caravan. Her father was hurt badly, and he could never walk again."

"That's terrible," murmured Lia.

"Mika blamed the other caravan, which had all of the other tribes in it at the time, and that led to her hatred of the Clavats, Yukes, and Lilties, although it was the Leuda caravan who wasn't watching the road. But don't tell the other villagers that I blame us for it," said the merchant.

"Why not, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Well…most of the other Selkies here are very prejudiced against the other tribes," explained the old man. "They're just as racist to the other tribes as the other tribes are racist to them. Many of the Selkies that live here were either born here, or they've come from the outside world, tired of being discriminated against."

"…so what happened to Mika's father?" asked Creston.

"He died a few years after the incident. Later on, Mika's mother decided she couldn't live in Leuda anymore; the loss of her husband just brought up too many bad memories for her. They moved away, and I'm guessing Mika moved to your village."

"That's right," said Lianora.

"Well…I've gotta say…you've changed her, a lot. She's become a fine woman, unlike her friend Lan Thraw. That girl has so much hate in her…she hates the other tribes with a passion."

"Really? She seemed so nice," said Lia, astonished.

"Aye, well…appearances can be deceiving. Thanks for buying," said the old man. He walked off, and disappeared through a crowd of people.

"I never knew," said Creston after he had left.

"Neither did I…I could never imagine Mika being a racist," said Lia.

"Nor can I. I guess we did change her, according to that man."

Garrett ran up to them both, steaming.

"Have you seen an old Selkie merchant?" demanded the hotheaded warrior.

"He was here just now, but he left a few moments ago," said Creston. "Why?"

"The old bastard took my wallet while we were bargaining!" roared Garrett, stamping his foot.

Lianora felt inside her pocket. "I've still got mine."

Creston said nothing.

"Creston?"

"That bastard, I'll kill him!" shouted the Yuke, running through the crowd, trying to find the old thief.

"Not if I kill him first!" snarled Garrett, chasing after his rival.

Watching the two move in the completely wrong direction, the old Selkie smiled.

"As I said, appearances can be deceiving," he said, laughing.

**

* * *

**

Back within the tent, Lan glared at Mika again. "Way to break his heart," she said.

"Someone has to tell him to get over me," replied Mika. "He needs to stop being such a child."

"She's right, Lan. He shouldn't have kissed her," agreed Kar.

"Oh, take her side!" accused Lan. Kar looked away guiltily, as Mika gave him an appreciated nod.

"Whatever…whatever! I don't even care anymore!" shouted Lan, throwing up her hands.

"I can't believe what's happened. You used to be OUR friends! You used to hate the other tribes! You used to like TAKA-"

"No I didn't!" corrected Mika sharply, but Lan paid her no heed.

"But now! You have NEW friends, you like the other tribes, and you've broken Taka's heart by being with that scarred loser!"

"He's not a loser!" snarled Mika, reaching for her paddle. Kar got up and stepped between the two of them.

"Calm down, both of you. Mika, I'm sorry if we've been a little…harsh towards you. And Lan, you'll just have to cope."

Lan snorted derisively.

Mika sighed. She had been so excited to come here. Now she just wanted to get the fifth element and go home.

**

* * *

**

Ray bounced higher and higher on the trampoline, doing tricks and flips as the Selkie children below him cheered. He flashed a grin down at them.

Despite his cheerful attitude, Ray was feeling uneasy. Why had Taka kissed Mika? Was it because they were close? Maybe they all kissed each other like that, and Ray had missed Kar and Lan kissing her. Or maybe Taka loved her…and kissed her against her will. Could that be it? No…Mika would've kicked him through a wall. But she didn't. And then Kar shook his head at him…what could that mean?

Did Mika not love him? Was she really in love with Taka. Was Ray just a replacement?

Ray was snapped out of his thoughts by a child yelling up at him.

"Mister! Mister! You did it! You broke the record!"

"Nice job, Ray!" shouted Sam, clapping, as he, Star, and Nieta watched. A crowd of people had gather to watch as Ray continued to bounce.

"Hey!" shouted a voice. "You, on the trampoline. Ray!"

Ray, in the middle of doing a back flip, looked over to see Taka walking down the path towards him. Ironic. The man he was thinking about just showed up.

Ray was too distracted to finish his flip, and he hit the trampoline on his back. The crowd let out a sad sigh at the fact that he had finally fallen, but they began to cheer as they remembered how Ray set the record.

Ray got up and bounced a few times on the rope trampoline, before hopping off in front of Taka.

The green haired Selkie was trying not to give him a disgusted look. _'She thinks I'm weaker than THIS fool?'_

"What's up?" asked Ray, cheerfully. Despite witnessing the incident before, he had no reason to hate this Selkie now.

BAM!

Ray went flying backwards as Taka punched him in the jaw, sliding across the sandy ground. He got up to his feet and rubbed his chin, looking stunned.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked. Taka just let out a frustrated cry, and kicked Ray over again. Ray rolled over a few times, before getting up. Taka walked over, and picked him up.

"You little pest…," growled the Selkie, before punching Ray in the gut. Ray gasped as the wind was knocked out him. Taka then threw the half-blind Selkie away from him. Taka walked over and stared down at Ray.

"Mika said that you were stronger than me," hissed Taka, his eyes burning with fury. "But I think she was bluffing. Get this, bandanna boy; Mika is mine now."

Ray just stared at him, before Taka kick Ray away from him. By now, just about every resident of Leuda had gathered to watch the fight, including the old merchant, the young children, and that half Lilty- half Clavat lady that they kept seeing. Sam recognized a guard of Alfitaria next to her. Wasn't he the one that was looking for the princess?

"What's going on?" came a familiar voice from behind Sam. Garrett ran forward, clutching his wallet. "Why is Ray getting his ass handed to him?"

"I don't know," said Sam. "For some reason, he's refusing to fight!"

"He's hurt," gasped Star, noticing some blood on Ray's arm.

"He'd better start fighting soon, or he's going to get seriously damaged," said Creston gravely. Mog nodded in agreement.

Ray was getting up again. He made no move towards Taka, as the other Selkie hit him with another blow. Ray fell back down, but again, he rose to his feet. He simply stared at Taka, waiting for his next move.

Tristan was watching from his boat. "Come on laddie, do something!" whispered Tristan.

Taka grabbed Ray by the hair, and threw him away again. Ray slid dangerously close to the edge of a cliff, but he didn't go over. He got up, and walked away from the cliff side, but he still didn't try to hurt Taka. Taka punched him in the arm, before hitting Ray in the face again. Ray fell over backwards again.

"Little wuss," taunted Taka. "Come on, fight."

"Come on, Ray!" shouted Garrett in rage. "Get him! You know you can take this guy!"

"Get up, Ray!" cried Lianora, fearfully.

"Kick his ass!" screamed Star. Sam and the others stared at her in surprise. Star gave them a glare. "Well come on! Look at him! He can do this!"

Ray was hit again, his body sliding into a rocky wall. Taka pinned him against the wall, before throwing Ray over his shoulder, back into the clearing where they were fighting.

"Why doesn't he do anything?" asked Sam, clutching a fist unconsciously. "I know that he can at least evade those attacks."

"Something is holding him back," said Creston. "But I don't know what."

Ray got up again, and still faced Taka. Taka bared his teeth at him.

"Why don't you fight back!"

Ray was simply silent, just gazing at his opponent.

"I'll MAKE you fight, you little-"

"Taka!" yelled a female voice. Mika was pushing her way to the front of the crowd, Kar and Lan on her heels. "What the hell are you doing!"

"I'm proving to you that I'm a better man than him!" snarled Taka.

Mika's eyes stared in disbelief. Then she spoke again. "Are you insane!"

Taka ignored her. He advanced towards Ray, and kicked him. Ray hit the ground another time.

Mika ran out and grabbed Taka's arm as he raised a fist. "Stop it!"

Taka pushed her away. "Stay out of this, Mika!" Mika fell backwards, and slid back into the crowd.

Taka turned back to Ray. "And as for you-"

BAM!

The sound of hit rang out in the town of Leuda. But this time, Taka was hit by Ray. Ray had pushed himself off the ground, and kicked the other Selkie in the stomach. Taka stumbled backwards. Ray was on his feet, and giving Taka an "I'm-really-pissed-off" look.

Mika simply stare, dumbfounded. "I've never seen him look like that."

"Ray doesn't get that mad often," said Garrett, who had appeared at her side. "I've only seen that look on his face once before. He only gets that mad when something hurts you."

Mika continued to stare. "Me…?"

As Taka tried to punch Ray, Ray grabbed his arm and twisted it. Taka let out a howl of pain, but he was silenced as Ray kneed him in the gut. Without even blinking, Ray struck Taka across the face, sending him skidding across the rocky earth.

Mika stood up.

"GO RAY!" she yelled.

"BEAT HIS ASS!" roared Garrett.

"TAKA, YOU MORON, GET UP!" screamed Lan. Beside her, Kar remained silent.

'_You're done, Taka,' _the blonde Selkie thought. _'This is a fight you should not have picked.'_

Ray was hitting Taka with blow after blow, throwing punch after punching, launching kick after kick. Taka's face looked worse than Ray's. He was bleeding from scratches, covered in bruises, and his body looked like he had shared a room with the Dragon Zombie.

Taka, dazed and disoriented, was staggering back and forth, panting. He threw a lousy punch towards Ray, who jumped in the air. The bandannaed bandit did a back flip in the air, swinging his foot towards Taka's face.

It hit. Taka was knocked back by the devastating kick, and he landed on the trampoline. His body bounce up and down. He was knocked out, but his chest was still rising and falling. He was alive, but he had lost.

Silence. Then Garrett broke it.

"HE WON!" yelled Garrett. Everyone started cheering for Ray (except for those who supported Taka, who remained silent). Lan let out a scream of frustration before stomping off. Kar smiled and winked at Mika, before following his angry friend. She smiled at him fondly; at least he still liked her.

Ray didn't seem to care as he had the people cheering for him. He simply stared at Mika, who stared back at him as she noticed. Then, as the cheering subsided, he ran and jumped onto the trampoline. He bounced off of it to the upper part of the town, and he began to head for the village's exit that led to the desert.

Many of the villagers started to murmur. Before long, most of them had left the area in which the fight had taken place. A few Selkies gathered and picked up Taka, carrying his unconscious body to where they could treat his injuries.

Garrett looked at Mika. "Where the hell is he going?"

Mika didn't answer. She got up, bounced off of the trampoline, and followed Ray out of the village.

"Where the hell are those two going?" asked Garrett. "Oh well. At least I've got my wallet back."

**

* * *

**

Mika was outside of the town, but not yet outside the barrier of the town's crystal. She was looking around the area, checking behind rocks. She just couldn't find him.

"Are you looking for me?"

Mika whirled around to see Ray leaning against a large rock. His eyes bore into hers as the wind blew around them. As the wind blew, she saw an occasional fleck of blood fly off of him.

"What's with you?" asked Mika.

"What's with YOU?" asked Ray.

"Me?"

"Yeah…," said Ray. Mika felt uncomfortable. His voice was quiet, not his usual tone. Normally, Ray would've been cracking jokes or bragging about his victory.

"Why didn't you fight back at first?" asked Mika.

"I had no reason to," replied Ray simply.

"You just let him hit you and insult you!" persisted Mika.

"I only wanted to fight him after he pushed you," said Ray. "After he did that, I didn't hold back."

"Why was he fighting?" asked Mika.

"He was fighting for your love. You know that."

"Well…wait…I told him I didn't love him!" yelled Mika. "That idiot won't listen!"

Ray didn't say anything. He just looked away at the sun beginning to set.

"Ray? You don't think I actually care about him, do you?" asked Mika fearfully.

Ray didn't answer.

"Ray! Come on! You know I'd never do that!" said Mika.

"I really don't think I know anything anymore," responded Ray, his voice still calm. But Mika could tell that he was hurt.

"What do you-"

"I saw you kiss him," revealed Ray. Mika's eyes widened in dismay.

"Ray! He kissed me against my will! He did it without me knowing! Ask Kar!"

"How do I know that it wasn't on purpose?" asked Ray, his eyes still boring into hers. "I didn't see you try and stop him. And I'm guessing Kar would lie for you. Did you kiss him, too?"

Mika felt horrible. She hadn't done anything wrong! "No! I didn't! You have to believe me!"

"I have to?" asked Ray, a touch of sarcasm in his tone. "I don't know. It seems kind of strange that you'd just kiss a guy after not seeing him for years."

"Ray, he kissed ME!" said Mika, starting to get annoyed. Her temper was starting to rise.

"Really? I don't know if I believe that."

"You think I'm lying!"

"No, I think that I was just used."

"Used!" hissed Mika, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. I think that you just used me to fill the void after you moved away from Taka. But now that you're here again, you don't need me anymore."

"Ray! For the last time! I don't love Taka! I love you!" shouted Mika. Ray simply stared, arms folded. Then he got up and walked towards her.

"I'm not gonna be convinced that easily," he said.

"Have I ever lied to you before!" asked Mika.

"Have you? I'm starting to wonder…"

"UGH!" shouted Mika, angered beyond all belief. She pushed Ray backwards away from her. She pushed him away further and further until she had pinned against the rock from before. She glared at him angrily, and pressed her lips to his. Ray said nothing, shocked by the turn of events.

"Stupid…dumb…idiotic…moron!" growled Mika between the kisses. "How many…times…do I have to-"

"Don't speak," hissed Ray, kissing her again. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Good. Now shut up and kiss me."

As the kisses continued, things got more heated. Maybe it was the desert, but Mika was hungry for more. She angrily ripped Ray's bandanna of off his stupid head. She threw it aside, and the wind blew it a little bit away. Ray started to remove her clothes, still locking lips with her, as she kicked off her boots.

It was still hot in the desert, despite the strong winds, and as things got even more heated, more clothes were removed.

**

* * *

**

A little while later, Garrett, Creston, Nieta, and Mog were all outside of the city. They were searching for the Selkie pair, as Sam and Star had grown worried. Garrett snorted. After watching Ray kick some ass, the Clavats were worried about him? Sometimes, Sam could be dumb.

"Where the hell are they?" growled Garrett.

"Do you think they're okay?" asked Nieta, fidgeting nervously.

"Well, that's why we're out here, to make sure," said Creston.

"Hey, what's that, kupo?" asked Mog, pointing towards that ground with his foot. There was a scarlet object lying on the sand. Garrett marched over and picked it up. It was a bandanna…Ray's bandanna.

"Ray would never go anywhere without this…do you think he's been attacked?" asked Garrett.

Creston didn't answer as he picked something else up. It was blueish, and it had a trim of white fur.

"This is Mika's top," said the Yuke, staring at the object. "I wonder why it's here."

"Did something eat them?" asked Nieta in fear.

Garrett didn't answer as he picked up another object. It was weird looking. It was the same color as Mika's top, and it had three large holes in it.

"What's this?" he asked. Creston looked over. As the wind blew, everything clicked.

Creston began to laugh. He began to laugh hysterically, unable to stop himself. Garrett stared. While Creston had laughed a few times before, this is was just creepy.

"What's so funny?" asked Garrett, confused.

It took Creston a little while to calm down, before he could speak.

"They're fine, Garrett," he said, his voice hoarse. "In fact, they're probably better than you can possibly imagine."

"Huh?" asked Garrett.

"Put it together," said Creston. "Their clothes lying about. The windy day. And guess what you're holding?"

Garrett's eyes widened.

Nieta looked from Yuke to Lilty. "Huh? Garrett, what does he mean?"

The warrior pulled a face. "Ew," he said, dropping the clothing.

"Let's go back," said Creston, still breathless. "Oh, I can't WAIT to tell the others about this one…"

"Ugh…," groaned Garrett. "I really need to wash my hands now…god damn it."

"What was he picking up?" whispered Nieta to Mog, who was giggling.

"Mika's panties, kupo," whispered Mog, still giggling madly. Nieta gasped. Did that mean…

* * *

Even later, the rest of the Tipa caravan was still waiting for Mika and Ray to get back. The sun had almost set, and Sam really didn't want to stay for the night in this village. No offense to the Selkies, but Leuda really WAS full of thieves.

Creston tapped him on the shoulder. "They're back," he said, pointing.

Sam stared at the two Selkies walking down the path towards them, both of them staggering a little as if they were exhausted. Both of their clothes were covered in sand and dirt, as were their bodies. Rays bandanna had been tied on rather sloppily, and Mika hadn't even bothered to fix her hair after the wind messed it up. But they both had the same expression; the expression as if they had just had a LOT of fun. Ray had a look of pride on his face, and Mika was grinning with mischief.

"Uh…did you two…have fun?" asked Sam awkwardly. Creston had told him his theories, and now Sam was feeling…kind of like he didn't want to know.

Ray smirked. "Oh, we had a lot of fun Sam. You and Star should try it some time."

Star gasped, and blushed furiously. Sam sighed.

"All right guys…let's get out of here," said Sam. They got their paopamus and carriage (they had taken it on Tristan's ship) and packed up, leaving the town of Leuda behind. Mika and Ray were resting in the caravan due to their exhaustion, while the others walked. Garrett was driving the carriage along. Then he heard a rustling behind him.

"NO! BOTH OF YOU, NO! KEEP YOUR FRIGGIN' CLOTHES ON!"

Silence…then Ray's voice could be heard.

"Jealous bastard."

**

* * *

**

Ahahahahaha! We're done with another chapter!

Favorite Parts: I loved this entire chapter, honestly. But I've gotta say, Sam's reaction to Star at the beginning, Mika's story being explained, the Taka-Ray fight, Garrett and Creston looking for clothes, and well uh…the sort of steamy scene…

Okay, first of all, no, they did not have- oh wait…yeah they did…

Okay, yes. I will announce it now, okay? Mika and Ray had angry/make up sex. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!

Funny enough, this is chapter 69. Tee hee hee.

Now, let's avoid that topic for now, because the end of this chapter talked all about it.

We will now talk about Mika's story and some OCs. No, we will not talk about the part of Mika's story when she and Ray do the horizontal mambo.

Mika basically used to be a racist who hated the other tribes. You could sort of see her hesitancy to being friends with the others in the beginning. However, unlike her friends who CHOSE to be racist, Mika's decision was the result of an accident that wound up killing her father. So, it's sort of justified. But Mika was changed by her friends, and she realizes that she likes her new life better than her old one (same with her friends).

So, now, OCs!

Kar Redge- I like him. A lot. Originally, he was going to be mean to Mika as well, but I thought she needed someone on her side a little bit. No, he does NOT have a crush on her. At all. He is, however, very greedy, which is why he asked Mika about the money. However, he is calm, kindhearted soul. He is still racist, however, though not as much as the others. When he shook his head at Ray, Kar was trying to tell Ray that Mika did NOT like Taka, but Ray misunderstood.

Lan Thraw- I hate her. I hate her so much. She's a Selkie that's even more wily and hotheaded than Mika. Lan is the most racist of them all, and also the most confrontational. She feels replaced by Mika, and she's angry that Mika betrayed her and the "tattoo oath" (by the way, the tattoo represents racism). I can sort of pity her…but I still hate her character. Oh, and no, she does not like Taka at all. She just wanted to cheer for him instead of Ray.

Taka Vyne- Hmmm…I'm sort of on the fence about Taka. I suppose he's the villain of this chapter, but he's not really up there, like Rex and Selstun. Taka is NORMALLY quiet and kind. However, he is a lovestruck fool who is hopelessly in love with Mika. Unrequited love sucks, and so Taka became an asshole for this chapter. However, he lost because Ray has been fighting monsters for years. Taka, unlike Selstun and Rex, has never been in a caravan- therefore, he doesn't really know how to fight. By the way, in the past, Mika NEVER ever liked him.

He just had a crush on her that became something more.

ALSO. THERE IS A PUZZLE IN THERE NAMES! GUESS WHAT IT IS IN YOUR REVIEW. Figure it out, and I'll include your name in the next chapter introduction.

So yeah. We're done. Now for the "next chapter thingy."

Next Chapter: After the events at Leuda, the Tipa caravan has entered the great Lynari desert. It's time to put Gurdy's poems to the test and see what they can find!

Rearper: My turn to ask for reviews. So review. Obey me, my readers…reviews shall help all of the couples get past second base.

Everyone except the Selkies: HEY!


	70. Knowing and Finding

'ello chums! Welcome to another author's note.

I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get uploaded. Really…I've just been busy…and finals are coming at me around a corner…so once again, sorry.

Yeah…so we have the Lynari Desert coming up…and the amazing search for the fifth element.

And this is the start of Sam's origins finally being explained, so you'll see him acting weird.

Is that about it? Oh yeah! I post the first chapter of my newest story, Total Pokemon Island. So if you like Pokemon/Total Drama Island, go read it if you want. (Although it's probably not as serious as this story)

SO! LET THE READING/PLOT CONTINUE!

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

He was dying.

That was the thought that Garrett had as he lay in the sand. His body felt horrible. Sweat was dripping down his face as he fought for life. He let out a pained cry as his eyes rolled.

"I'm not going to make it…go on without me," he rasped, as a figure appeared standing over him.

Mika rolled her eyes. "You're just overheated. I told you to take off that armor."

"No…," protested the Lilty feebly. "I can't go on…"

"Nieta, get his armor off," ordered Sam. "We can't afford to have him slowing us down."

With a sigh, Nieta walked over to her fellow Lilty and took off his heavy metal armor. After about two minutes, Garrett got up.

"I suddenly feel better," he said, shaking off his deliriousness. "What happened?"

"We took off your armor," explained Star. Garrett's jaw dropped as he looked down. He was in his tan-brown tunic/undershirt.

"Give it back!" he shouted, looking around wildly.

"Oh please," scoffed Creston. Lianora gave him a warning glance. "Are you so weak that you feel endangered unless you're wearing a suit of metal?"

"I should be the one to ask that," growled Garrett, nodding to Creston's helmet.

"Whatever. Can we just stop arguing so we can get through this desert?" asked Nieta, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I second this notion," said Ray, raising a hand. Sam nodded. They had to get moving. They had a secret element to find.

They began to walk…and walk...and walk…and walk...and walk.

Needless to say, the desert was enormous. But that wasn't what was bothering Sam. What was bothering the Clavat was the fact that they had not seen a single monster upon entering the Lynari Desert. Not even one.

As if in answer, two creatures seemed to appear out of nowhere (although there was a sandstorm raging, so it was somewhat hard to see). They resembled Maggie, Jack Moschet's lamia wife, but thankfully these lamias were much smaller. Sam twirled his sword, and gave the monster's a challenging glare.

"Come on," he said.

The lamia cocked her head and turned to her sister. "How do you want them, sister?"

"In shreds," hissed the other snake-woman, lunging for Star. Star managed to block the blow (lamia's weren't known for their physical fighting abilities) and lashed out, slicing the lamia open. It cried out in pain and slithered backwards.

The other lamia was muttering words, and suddenly, as he ran forward, Garrett stopped moving completely.

"A stop spell," said Lianora. Running forward with a new sword that she had made herself, she cut off the lamia's arm. When it tried to hit her with the other one, Lia ducked and stabbed the monster in the stomach. With an anguished cry, she fell to the ground and lay still.

"SISTER!" shrieked the other lamia in horror, but Garrett, angry at being frozen in time, brutally stabbed her. She too hit the ground, bleeding on the sand.

"That'll teach you to attack us," said Garrett, eyes glinting.

They set off at a pace again, the desert winds still blowing. The desert seemed endless. Ray didn't know how long they had been walking.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Garrett. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"The first clue mentions a cactus and lightning…," said Mika. "So we're looking for a cactus that we need to cast a thunder spell on."

"You mean like that?" said Nieta, pointing to a small green cactus.

Mika's eyes lit up. "That could be it!"

But as she came forward…the cactus twitched. Then it popped out of the ground and ran at them.

"Guys…I don't think that's the right cactus, kupo," said Mog uneasily.

"CACTUAR!" yelled Mika, rolling out of the way as the killer cactus tried to kick her. Sam took over, whacking the Cactuar away.

Then Cactuar froze and stood still. Sam stared in confusion; had it stopped moving?

Then Cactuar began swing it's arms wildly and began to fling needles at them. As Creston moved out of the way, he remembered Armstrong's needles. Ray swore loudly as a needle punctured his skin.

Creston held out his hand and fired off a powerful fire spell. The Cactuar was lit on fire, and ran around flailing before it fell on the ground, dead.

"Freaky snake ladies, killer cacti, what next?" asked Ray, rolling his eyes.

They wandered around a bit more, and they eventually found a small, tan cactus. However, even when Creston cast a lightning spell on the plant, nothing happened.

"Is this the right cactus?" asked Lia.

"We could have the wrong one," admitted Mika.

"But it'll take us ages to find a certain cactus in this enormous place!" said Nieta, eyes widening.

Star turned to Sam. "What do you think, Sam?" she asked. But when she looked at Sam, he didn't acknowledge her. He clutched his head as if he remembered something. Then he looked off in one direction, before he took off running.

"Sam!"

"It's this way!" shouted the Clavat back. He pointed up ahead to the north.

"What!" asked Creston.

"The cactus we need to find is this way!"

"How do you know-"

"I just do, okay!"

Ray and Star exchanged a confused glance, but they took off after Sam all the same. The others hastily began to follow their leader as he ran across the desert sands. They continued to run for a long time until Sam finally stopped.

"Look," he said, pointing up ahead. There, in front of them, was an enormous green cactus. Thankfully, this one did not seem to be alive. A giant Cactuar was the last thing they needed right now.

Lianora stepped forward, and hesitantly cast a Thunder spell on the cactus. A strange aura surrounded it, before disappearing.

"Do you suppose that's good?" asked Garrett.

"That seems to be it," said Creston. "That's one clue down. What's the next?"

"Of crumbled inn, few reminisce…its faulty beams shall not be missed," recited Star.

"So…it's something broken," said Ray. "A crumbled inn…are there any inns out here?"

Mika gave him an annoyed look.

"What? It was an honest question!"

"An inn is a place where you stay," said Mika, ignoring her lover. "So it's a place where someone stayed…but now it's broken."

"Well…where do you suppose a broken shelter is in this region?" asked Nieta, spreading her arms to symbolize the huge desert land around them.

Sam pointed south. "That way."

"How do you know that!" asked Garrett.

Sam shrugged. "I just do. Come on, follow me."

"Again?" groaned Ray. He and the others began to follow the Clavat…again. Except this time, it wasn't going to be so easy. A few minutes after they began to trek through the barren desert, a group of creatures sprang out of the ground. It was a group of scorpions. They advanced toward their prey, their dual tails flicking back and forth.

"Watch out…scorpions have high defenses against magic AND physical attacks," warned Creston. There were six in total.

The first scorpion dashed forward, its claws snapping wildly. Garrett met it head on, locking his spear with its claws. It swung another claw at him, but Garrett ducked just in time, as the scorpion only got a tiny bit of his hair tuft.

"Okay, these guys aren't that easy!" shouted Garrett. He stabbed his spear into the underbelly of the scorpion, where there wasn't any armor. He snagged the monster on his spear, and slammed it into another armored arachnid.

Lianora took out both dazed scorpions, before moving onto another. She and Sam worked together to get a third scorpion of guard, before cutting it up with their swords. They disposed of it quickly, as Ray took down a scorpion as well.

"Argh!" came a cry of pain. Creston was clutching his shoulder as red blood dripped down it. A scorpion was making hissing noises as if laughing at him.

Mika kicked the scorpion in the face before flipping it over. She proceeded to shoot its underbelly about ten times, as Star and Nieta took down the last monster.

Lia looked at Creston's shoulder. "Poison…," she muttered, casting a clear spell. It was a little more difficult now that she didn't have a staff to channel her magic energy, but the female Yuke was still an experienced mage.

"How's that feel?"

"Much better," said Creston. "The bleeding is stopping. Come on, we can't afford to lose time."

But barely after they had started moving again, Mog groaned and fell to the ground.

"Mog!" cried Nieta.

"Is he poisoned?" asked Creston. Mika picked up. The moogle didn't have a scratch on him…but he was sweating like crazy.

"I think he's just hot with all of that fur," reported Mika.

"Something similar happened on Mount Kilanda," said Nieta. She tossed Mika her spear. "Give him a little shave with this."

But as Mika caught the weapon, a large shadow covered up the caravanners.

Ray looked up. "Uh…guys?" he said, his voice uneasy.

"What is it, Ray?" asked Star, curious.

"RUN!" shouted Ray. At that moment, an enormous bird swooped down and grabbed Mog right out of Mika's hands. Mika stared as the enormous scaly green bird took to the skies with its colorful wings, Mog in its clutches.

"HELP ME, KUPO!" screamed their furry friend. The monstrous avian, which was known as a Zu, just let out a loud caw.

"Damnit…Zus?" asked Mika rhetorically. "Perfect."

Sam and Star were already on it. They were throwing their swords up at the Zu, but to no avail. Ray made some well aimed shots, but the Zu seemed to shake them off.

"I'll use Gravity," said Creston.

"No!" cried Nieta. "If you do, that thing will fall down and crush Mog under itself."

"So what can we do?" asked Sam, aiming a fire spell at the Zu, which let out a loud cry and flapped its wings, sending a blast of wind at them.

"Free Mog first. But we need a plan," said Lia. "Gimme a moment to think."

Ray, meanwhile, was sitting down, thinking. When it came to solutions, Creston and Lia would always find some sort of complex, difficult way to solve the problem. Ray was practical. All he needed was a simple idea.

Ray's eyes snapped open. Quickly, he removed his patches and straps from his body. He then tied them together, before he ran over and stole Longinus from Garrett.

"HEY!" shouted the angry Lilty. Ray didn't have time to waste. He dashed back to the scorpion corpses. Thankfully, their bendy tails were still intact. He tied the tails to the patches and marveled at his handiwork; the assortments of straps and scorpion tails resembled a long whip of some sorts.

"What the hell is he doing?" asked Creston, shaking his head in disbelief. Then the Yuke dodged the Zu swooping down at him. Ray seized his chance. As the avian swooped down, he took a running leap and hopped on the birds back.

"He's amazing!" shouted Star.

"He's insane," growled Garrett.

On the back of the Zu, Ray pulled his way up to the neck. Taking his rope-like contraption, he wrapped it around the Zu's neck and gave it a hard pull. The Zu let out a choking cry and stopped in midair, shaking wildly as it was gagged by Ray. Ray glared down at his friends as he felt a faint sting of miasma. He was out of the border. Great.

"SHOOT HIS FOOT!" he shouted. Mika nodded and aimed her racket, firing a volley of shots. The Zu gasped in pain, releasing Mog from its hold. Nieta ran over and caught the plummeting moogle.

Ray continued to pull on the Zu, but not as hard now. Eventually, the Zu tired out and it landed on the ground.

Ray grinned at his comrades. "Who would like to board the Selkie Express?" asked Ray cheerfully.

"You've got heatstroke if you think I'm getting on that thing," groaned Garrett. The Zu let out a roar. Ray decided not to point out that Garrett had actually HAD heatstroke.

"Well, hey. If we search from the skies, we'll find the 'crumbled inn' a lot quicker," pointed out Ray.

"That's no reason to take risks," said Creston sharply.

"Oh please," scoffed Mika, hopping up onto the Zu behind Ray.

"There is absolutely no way I am doing this. It'll never work," snarled Garrett.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000**

"I can't believe it worked," grumbled Garrett. Ray leaned against the broken tent, smirking triumphantly.

After much persuasion, Ray convinced the others to use the Zu to search from the sky. Within five minutes, they had found an old, broken shelter. Creston had cast many different spells on it, and eventually, a Gravity spell caused the dilapidated shelter to glow.

Star stared at the dead Zu they had been riding. "I wish it hadn't tried to kill us after we got off of it."

Sam shook his head. "I'd try to kill something to if I was strangled by Ray."

"All I did was choke the chicken," said Ray, shrugging. Mika laughed loudly, and Garrett snorted. Creston gave Ray a cold glare, and walked off, while Mog giggled. Nieta was just confused.

"Choke a-"

"Chocobo," said Creston. "He said Chocobo."

"No he didn't-"

"YES he did."

"Anyways!" said Sam, coughing politely. "The next clue mentions a lonely mushroom bursting into flame."

"We have to heat up a single mushroom," commented Ray to Mika. Mika giggled again.

"That's enough innuendos for this chapter," scolded Creston.

"Don't you start breaking the fourth wall again," growled Garrett.

"So…where are we going to find a mushroom in this place?" asked Lia. "The terrain isn't suited for growing mushrooms."

"That's because it's not an actual mushroom," explained Sam. "It's a rock that is shaped like a mushroom."

Silence.

"Okay Sam, normally I just accept the fact that weird stuff happens out here, but the heck is going on with you?" asked Nieta. "How do you know all of this stuff when you've never been here?"

"I don't know," said Sam, shaking his head. "It's really strange."

"Well, if you know, then you might as well guide us," said Ray. "I mean seriously, if it's weird in a good way, then I'll go with the flow."

Sam nodded and then led them off into the desert once more. After a battle with a Zu and two lamias, they arrived at a large mushroom shaped rock.

"See?" asked Sam.

"Lonely Mushroom bursts to flame," quoted Creston. Without another word, he cast a fire spell. Like the tent and cactus before, the rock glowed.

"What's the next verse?" asked Nieta.

"Three rocks await the winter's kiss," said Sam promptly. "They're in the middle of the desert."

Garrett opened his mouth to question this, but Nieta just covered it with a hand. It was time to stop asking questions. Sam ran them back to the middle of the desert. They passed a couple of rocks, but they stopped when they found a large one.

"This is the smallest rock. There are three. You've got to cast spells on them from largest to smallest."

"Should we try it?" asked Garrett.

"Sam has been right this entire time; why should that change?" asked Creston, but before he could try casting a spell, a Cactaur hit him in the back with a volley of needles. "Ow! Stupid plant!"

Ray turned around to confront the living cactus, but it ran up and aimed a powerful kick at the Selkie. Ray's legs had been spread just a bit too much apart, and he fell to the ground, groaning.

"Ray, this recurring problem of yours is starting to become a nuisance," said Star, slicing the Cactuar open. It fell to the ground, lifeless. At that moment, two Zu appeared out of the clouds above, screeching as they dive bombed towards the Tipa caravan. Creston, acting quickly, hit the Zus with a gravity spell. Nieta ran up, but the Zu shook its head, knocking her back. Garrett stepped in and stabbed the first Zu savagely. It let out a low moan, before slumping over, dead. The second Zu took to the skies again and managed to freeze Sam, but he broke the ice and together, he and Mika subdued the beast.

Star cast a blizzard spell on the rock. "One down."

They walked a few meters before they found they found the second rock. They cast another spell, walked a little bit west, and finally found the third rock. As Creston cast the final blizzard spell, the rock glowed. Mika looked off into the distance and saw the middle rock glowing as well.

"In the end shall bloom a flower; sacred light shall reveal its power," recited Star.

"The flower is at the beginning of the desert," said Sam. "But I have no idea what sacred light would be."

"Sacred light? Is that some sort of spell?" asked Lia, staring at Creston. Creston seemed thoughtful, before snapping his feathery fingers.

"Ah…sacred…it's a holy spell. No wonder why this element has never been found. Holy Spells aren't easy to cast," said Creston, nodding slowly. He turned to their Clavat friend. "Lead me to the flower."

Sam nodded, and began to run. Garrett sighed, and made a rude gesture at Sam's back. "I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH ALL OF THIS RUNNING!"

Sam led them through the desert. They had a few fights with some scorpions, and another Cactuar (which Ray now disliked immensely). Eventually, the Clavat stopped under a rocky overhang. There, there was a transparent flower floating in the air, glowing mysteriously. The aura was the same color as the glow the other landmarks had.

"Moment of truth now," said Ray, as Creston stepped forward. "Time to see if it's really real or that danm Gigas was lying to us."

Creston closed his eyes and focused his energy. Then, with a loud cry, he cast a holy spell on the flower. The flower flashed, and light shined on Creston and the others. When the light cleared, a white altar was in front of them. Sam took the chalice from Creston and placed it on the altar. It shimmered for a moment before the crystal in the chalice changed to a radiant white color.

"We did it…we've gotten the element," said Sam.

"No…you did it," said Star, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We would've never found it without you."

"I just wish I knew how I had known all of the clues," said Sam in wonder.

"Can we figure out all of this knowledge mumbo jumbo later?" asked Garrett. "In case you've forgotten, we have a drop of myrrh to get while we're here."

"That's true," said Creston. "C'mon…we need to find the myrrh tree…before we go off to search for the Abyss, let's make sure our home is safe first."

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

And so we're done.

Favorite Parts: Ray shined in this chapter, but I also liked Garrett. The taming of the Zu was funny, and I also liked Sam's insane knowledge of what to do.

On the topic of Sam, this will be explained later on. I mean come on, it's really freaky that he knew everything, right?

By the way, the ANSWERS TO THE SELKIE PUZZLE LAST CHAPTER! So Kar Redge, Taka Vyne, and Lan Thraw all have puzzles to their names. The puzzle is that each of their last names mixed up versions of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each Sin has something to do with their character:

Kar Redge- Redge = Greed. Kar is mentioned to be greedy.

Lan Thraw- Thraw = Wrath. Obviously refers to Lan's anger towards Mika during that chapter.

Taka Vyne- Vyne = Envy. References Taka's envy towards Ray for having Mika's love.

I have mixed feelings on this chapter. It was fun to write, and it had good info, but I think it was a little too bland and a little too speedy. I wish I could've added more, but I didn't have the time. So…

Next Chapter: The Tipa group has gotten the fifth element. Now they just have to get a drop of myrrh. After all of the running around they did to locate the fifth element, now they have to trek through the entire desert!

Kar Redge: Well, seeing as the author needs new people to request reviews, I'm here. Don't forget to review, y'all.


	71. Desert Lands, Shifting Sands

Wow…we're at Chapter 70 already? We're really getting close to the end. O_O;;

So yeah…the lovely journey through the desert takes up the rest of the chapter…giggle giggle.

Uh…that's about it. After all of the attention he's gotten, Sam isn't going to be an attention hog for a little bit.

NOW WE SHALL BEGIN!

* * *

"How much longer do we have to walk?" moaned Ray.

"A while," retorted Creston. He seemed about to go on, but he let out a sigh. Even the sharp-tongued Yuke was exhausted by the heat. He didn't have the energy to quarrel.

"It IS pretty bad," admitted Mika. "I mean, I used to live here, and even I'm burning up."

"Look on the bright side, guys!" said Star, trying to cheer up the sour moods. "At least we have the fifth element."

"We can't use it unless we get out of the desert," grunted Garrett.

Star shared an annoyed look with Lia.

Nieta pointed out into the desert. "Hey…I've definitely seen that rock before."

"We HAVEN'T been going in circles, have we?" shouted Mika.

"Oh dear lord," said Ray, falling over.

"Come on…let's just keep going," said Lianora, leading them all forward.

Then suddenly, she wasn't in front of them.

"Lia?" asked Creston, looking around wildly.

"Down here," came a weak reply.

Creston looked down, his eyes behind his helm widening in shock. Lianora had sunk in a pit of quicksand. The sand was swallowing her up at an alarmingly fast pace, as it was almost up to her chest.

Creston lunged forward and grabbed her hand, but he slid in after her, sinking in up to his knees in a couple of seconds. At the same time, Lianora's head was getting dangerously close to the sand. Both of Lilties grabbed Lia and tried to haul her out, but Garrett fell backwards, while Nieta fell in headfirst.

"Shoot…she'll suffocate!" yelled Sam.

Then he heard a quiet cry come from beneath the sands.

"Guys!" came Nieta's tiny voice. "I'm okay. You all have to follow me!"

Lianora was about to respond when she disappeared from view. Creston stared at the spots where the Lilty and Yuke had been.

"She's mad."

Then Lia's voice came through, quiet, but definitely there.

"She's right! Guys, hop in!"

Mika shrugged and dove into the sand, while Sam entered more hesitantly. Creston sighed as he sunk into the sand, with Mog diving in with an excited squeal. Garrett eyed the pit warily.

"There's no way I'm going into that thing," growled Garrett. Then his eyes widened as Ray kicked him into the sinking sands. Garrett glared at Ray.

"You bastard I'll- URGH!" Garrett's threats were interrupted by him getting a mouthful of sand. He continued to let out muffled grunts of rage and panic as his tufted head vanished from view.

Ray look at Star, gave her a cheery smile and wave, before doing a back flip and diving into the sands. Star stared after him. She was scared but…

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and jumped in…

* * *

"WHOA!" shouted Nieta, sliding through an underground tunnel. It was dark, but she could barely see the outlines of Lia and Creston close behind her. She felt as if she was floating down a river…a river of sand.

"This is insane!" ranted Creston. Beside him, Mika was laughing with glee, as Ray slid past her, relaxing on his back. Garrett was tumbling through the stream of sand, and he bumped into Sam, who gave him a reproachful look.

Nieta saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Was she the only one?

"OH SHIT, ARE WE DEAD!" yelled Ray.

Okay, maybe she wasn't the only one who saw it.

As the light came closer, Nieta shut her eyes. She went straight into it and…

WHOOSH!

Nieta flew out of tunnel and down a waterfall of sand. She flopped onto the desert earth. Her friends could be heard falling beside her.

"That was AWESOME!" shouted Ray. "Who wants to go another round?"

Everyone glared at him.

"Sheesh…it was just an idea."

"So…where are we?" asked Sam. Everyone began to look around. They were still in the Lynari Desert. That was obvious. Then Star let out a shriek.

"Oh NO!" she wailed, pointing. "Look!"

Everyone turned in the direction she had indicated. There, in the distance, they could see a white shrine.

"It's the unknown element shrine, kupo," said Mog.

"But…that means…," said Garrett, his eyes widening.

"WE'RE BACK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DESERT!" shouted Mika, her voice echoing throughout the land.

"Great. Perfect," drawled Creston. "Now why don't we try and find a tunnel that takes all the way to Veo Lu Sluice?"

"Wait a minute," said Lia. "If the quicksand leads to underground tunnels…maybe there are tunnels that lead deeper into the desert towards the myrrh tree."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Nieta turned to Creston.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to argue against this like you've been doing for this entire year."

"I haven't been right once so far this year," growled Creston grudgingly. "I've learned to keep my mouth shut."

Garrett got on his knees and stared up into the sky. "There is a god up there!"

"Wow, Garrett, that was just as sarcastic as the usual Creston," commented Mika. "Impressive."

"So…let's go and try and find another sand pit," suggested Star.

They began to walk again (Garrett doing so very reluctantly) and trudged through the sandy desert. Three scorpions popped out of the sand after a few minutes.

"Oh please," scoffed Mika. She leaped forward, bringing her racket down onto the arachnid's head. The creature furiously tried to stab her with its tail, but she was out of reach. It's companion, however, tackled the Selkie to the ground.

"You're getting a bit too reckless, Mika!" shouted Nieta, running over to help the Selkie. She sliced off the scorpion's twin tails, and when the beast turned in surprise, she stabbed it right between the eyes. Sam and Creston took down the other two scorpions.

"Are you hurt?" asked Lia, helping Mika up.

"A couple of scratches. Other than that, I'm fine."

After Lia made sure that Mika was telling the truth (the Selkie had lied about her injuries on more than one occasion), they set off again. In a few minutes, they came across a pool of sand.

"Sweet!" said Garrett. "Let's go!"

He dashed forward, but Ray grabbed him and yanked him back.

"Hey!"

Sam stepped forward and knelt beside the sinking sands. "Good job, Ray."

"What'd you do that for!" snarled the Lilty.

"Look," said Sam, pointing to foot prints near him. "This is the same pool of sand that we sunk into last time. I don't think we want to start over AGAIN, do we?"

"No…sorry," mumbled Garrett.

"Its fine, the prints are a bit difficult to see," said Sam, shrugging. "Just walk around it and keep going."

Tipa's caravan moved on, fighting a Zu and two Cactuars as they continued, and they eventually stopped at two sand pits, where there was a Lamia and a Zu. After taking down both creatures, they stared at the pits.

"Which one do we take?" asked Nieta.

"I don't know…," said Creston. "But there has to be a way to find out."

Star searched her bag and found a rope. "Hey, guys, I have an idea!"

"That rope would've been really useful when I took down that Zu," grumbled Ray discontentedly.

"We tie someone to the rope, and they go into the quicksand. Afterwards, we pull them out and they tell us if it's the right direction."

"That's a brilliant idea, Star!" said Sam. Creston nodded in approval.

"Any volunteers?" asked Creston. Silence. Everyone glanced at each other uneasily.

"Well, seeing as the person who jumps in the sand will have to leave the chalice's barrier, it should be the one with the most resistance to miasma," said Lianora thoughtfully.

Everyone looked at Ray. Ray sighed. "All right, I'll do it. Tie it to my leg."

After Star made sure the rope was tied securely (she was good with knots, tying up animals around the ranch back at home), she nodded.

"Yank the rope when you want us to pull you back up," ordered Sam.

"And be careful," added Mika, looking at him worriedly.

"Don't worry," said Ray, winking. "We'll get to play again some time."

Star blushed, while Mika grinned. With a rather dramatic leap, Ray dove into the pit.

After about a minute came a violent tugging. Sam, at the head of the caravanners, grabbed the rope. He tried pulling, but to no avail. "Everyone, pull!"

It was like a game of tug of war. Sam was at the front, Nieta behind him, with Creston and Star pulling behind her. Lia and Mika were tugging hard at the back, while Garrett acted as an anchor, pulling all the while. The end of the rope was tied around Mog, who was fluttering frantically as he and the others tried to pull Ray back up.

Eventually, Mog lost all of his strength. His tied body was dragged into Garrett, who stumbled into Mika, who fell on top of Lia, who knocked Star forward, who fell and grabbed Creston, taking him down with her. Nieta let go of the rope in surprise, and before they knew what was happening, the rope dragged all of the caravanners into the pit.

They were moving through a long, sandy tunnel again. Mika tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She could see Star screaming, Garrett flailing, and Creston rolling down the sand stream. Way ahead, she thought she could see the faint outline of Ray, still dragging the rope behind him.

Mika closed her eyes; all she could do was hope for the best and…

WHOOSH!

They all fell out and into a giant sandy waterfall…again. Mika fell down, and landed with a THUMP on top of Garrett, who let out a howl of pain.

"Oh sorry."

"No problem…get off."

Mika got off of Garrett and looked around.

"Whoa," said the Lilty.

The land around them was much more rocky and mountainous. There were large walls of brown stone surrounding them, and the sand was much harder than before.

Mika shook herself out of her daze. "Where are the others?"

The Lilty and Selkie looked around, finding Nieta nearby. They took a pathway south and found Creston slumped against a wall near a pool of quicksand (which Mika wouldn't even get near). After that, the four found Sam tangled up in the rope, along with Lia and Mog. Ray had been detached from the rope, lying further ahead, and Star was a few meters away from him.

Just as Ray got up, a sand sahagin leaped out of the ground and lunged for the dazed Star.

"Not on my watch!" shouted Sam, leaping towards the sahagin. He knocked it backwards into a wall, where the Clavat then pinned the monster to the stone. The sahagin hissed and cried out, kicking it's dirty brown legs at the angry leader, but Sam slit its throat and it dropped to the ground.

He walked over and helped Star to her feet. "Are you okay?"

Star nodded and smiled. "Just fine, thanks."

They headed onwards, and found more sand sahagin leaping out of the ground to attack them. According to Lia's knowledge, the sand sahagin were fast and strong, but were rather weak defensively. Thus, the caravanners easily took care of them. Soon they found another new creature.

The monster was large, with a great golden head with a large horn sticking out. It's torso and legs were dark blue and clawed. Its face featured a mouth full of fangs, and glittering, red eyes.

"That's a chimera," said Lia softly. The beast hadn't seen them yet. "They are very dangerous…one of the most dangerous creatures in the world."

Garrett grinned.

"That's NOT a good thing."

"Well, can we go and kill it or what?" asked the battle-lusting Lilty. Another powerful monster under his belt was just what he needed to cheer him up.

"Fine," said Sam. "Just don't go crazy and get hurt."

Garrett ran out yelling a battle cry. The monster whirled around and roared, lunging at him with its great horn. Garrett defended himself before cutting at the monster's torso. It roared again and slammed a long blue tail into him. As Garrett fell back, the creature took a deep breath and let out a jet of fire at the warrior. Garrett rolled along the ground to put out the flames.

"Idiot," said Mika, rolling her eyes. She ran forward to try and strike the monster, but the fiendish being dodged with surprising agility. It whacked away Mika with its tail before goring Nieta with its horn.

"We need to slow it down or something!" said Sam. "Creston! Can you cast a slow spell?"

"I'll try," muttered Creston, but before he could, Lianora pointed her sword at the large creature.

"STOP!" she yelled. The chimera was hit by a golden light and stopped moving completely.

"Nice one, Lia!" gasped Star, as she sliced the monster open with her own sword. When the chimera was unfrozen, it let out a shriek and fell flat on its stomach.

"Jeez…that was one of the toughest regular monster's we've fought," said Sam, panting.

"There are probably plenty more in the Abyss," said Creston darkly. Sam nodded. They needed to get out of here quickly.

They ended in deeper, coming across another berserk Cactuar and another chimera as they did. They followed a winding path among the rocky walls, and they soon emerged after taking out a Lamia.

There was a large pit in front of them, filled with sand. Other than that though, it appeared as though they had reached a dead end.

"Well, it looks like we took the wrong path," commented Ray. "Let's turn back."

"Wait," said Mika. "We could pick up some good clues here."

"That's true," agreed Creston. "Let's go and look around for a minute."

They all hopped off the edge of the plateau they were on, and into the sandy pit. As they landed, Creston felt a familiar sensation and stopped.

Ray looked at him. "I feel it too. The myrrh tree is nearby!"

As he spoke, three scorpions burst from the ground.

"But it's still being guarded," said Lianora, getting into a fighting stance. "Be ready, guys."

She fired off a fire spell at the first scorpion. It was knocked back, but it dashed forward in an instant, whacking the Yuke swordfighter backwards with a claw. Nieta leaped on top of it and plunged her lance into the monster.

Nearby, Sam and a scorpion continued to strike out at each other. Sam was breathing heavily, having been poisoned by the monster's tail. The scorpion lunged forward to make a mortal blow, but Sam dodged at the last minute. Creston cast a clear spell on the Clavat, and then Sam cut open the scorpion quickly.

Ray and Mika took turns shooting at the last scorpion, which was finished off when Mog dropped the chalice on its head.

"Well…that was easy…," said Garrett, twirling his spear lazily. "Now let's search for-"

He was interrupted as three more scorpions burst from the ground. However, unlike the reddish brown monsters from before, these scorpions were blue and purple, and their tails were charged with electricity.

"Another round?" asked Garrett, smirking. "I'll enjoy this. Come on, then…"

"No, you fool!" hissed Creston. "Those ones you can't touch, or else you get stunned by their electricity! That leaves them open to inject you with poison!"

Garrett gave him a blank look.

"That's a bad thing!"

"Oh," said Garrett. "Then how do you kill an enemy you can't touch?"

"Like this," said Ray and Mika simultaneously, both firing a round of shots at the first scorpion. It was knocked backwards and rolled over into the wall, where it lay still.

Star and Mika combined magic to cast a blizzard spell on another scorpion. It was distracted, leaving Lianora to hit it with a good fire spell. The burning scorpion scuttled into its companion, igniting it as well.

"Stupid creatures," remarked Creston as both of the monsters fell over.

"Okay, I think we're done-," began Garrett.

Three more scorpions popped out of the ground.

"GOD DAMNIT!" shouted Garrett in rage. These scorpions were dark brown and black. They clipped their pincers menacingly.

"Stone scorpions," muttered Mika, eyeing them with hostility.

"Can we touch these ones?" asked Nieta.

"Well yes, but their armor is very strong," said Creston. "Let us cast some gravity spells on them to weaken them a tad bit."

He and Lia moved backwards, while the other caravanners held the scorpions at bay. Together, they cast a powerful gravity spell on all three of the scorpions. But they weren't going down without a fight. The armored arachnids kept pushing the caravanners backwards.

"Are you all okay?" called Creston.

"Garrett's been poisoned, and Sam has a nasty cut," reported Star.

"I wasn't poisoned!"

"Yes you were! Stop having so much pride and admit you need help!"

Grumbling under his breath, Garrett let Creston help him before jumping back into the brawl. Sam and Star had taken out a scorpion, with Mika and Lia bringing down a second. Garrett gripped Longinus tightly in his hand before making a great leap. He brought the weapon down on the scorpion's skull, shattering it easily with the legendary weapon. It fell to the ground in a heap.

"ARE WE DONE NOW!" roared the Lilty.

Silence. No scorpion's appeared from the ground.

"Wow…I guess we're done," said Sam. "Pretty easy. C'mon guys, let's look for that tree."

They all began to look around. Ray saw a cave nearby, although it was difficult to see, so Ray didn't blame his fellow caravanners for not noticing it. But Ray stopped as he felt the ground tremor. He looked around in confusion. Was he imagining things? But then he felt it again, slightly stronger. All around, the ground began to shake and rumble. He stared at the center of the pit. Something was coming up.

"Guys! Get back!" he yelled. At the same time, an enormous beast emerged from the depths of the desert sands.

Its body was large and green, and covered in hair. It had many brown legs sticking out of its large torso. The most frightening feature was it's massive head. Large and red, it had cold, malicious eyes, and a gaping maw filled with many rows of teeth. It had two great fangs on each side of its head.

Ray glanced at Sam. "And to think that we almost thought it was easy, eh?"

* * *

Ah the joys of ending a chapter at such a great part.

Favorite Parts: I liked the sliding scenes when they entered the quicksand. Those seemed really fun to me.

On explaining the part above, my idea is that when they fall into the quicksand, they enter a great tunnel that leads them to the other end of the tunnel (where the characters emerge from the quicksand). It's kind of like a demented waterslide.

Mixed feelings on this chapter again. Lynari was never one of my favorite dungeons, and the largeness is the reason why. Therefore, I sort of had to broaden this chapter a little bit- if I included every little battle, this chapter would've been as long as the Rise of Selstun (which had over 10,000 words- and that's a lot for me).

Next Chapter: The Tipa caravan faces off against the mighty Antlion! While our heroes have grown strong after five years of difficult battles, this desert foe is not to be underestimated. Will the Tipa caravanners triumph? And if they do, will they all make it home?

Wow, that's a suspenseful little "Next Chapter", isn't it? I have mentioned death! MUAHAHAHA!

Lan Thraw: Whatever, people. All I have to say is that I'M asking for a review. So you'd better do it, you hear? REVIEW!


	72. Battle Royale

Dun dun dun dunnnnnn! And so we are here again!

In this chapter, we have the thrilling conclusion of the Lynari Desert Saga! The Antlion vs. the Tipa Chronicles! I don't want to rush this chapter because I've planned a very thrilling conclusion to this year. Muahahaha!

There is a poll up about Rex. Check it out. Also, this'll be the last chapter for a little while (I'm busy with finals).

Also, this chapter isn't going to be the longest, as the Antlion is a very simple boss (like the Marlboro and Cave Worm). No fancy conversation at the beginning like usual.

And this chapter is going to be very violent. Muahahaha!

So, on that foreboding note, we'll start this little chapter!~

**000**

The Antlion let out another deafening roar. The caravanners covered their ears at the sound, except for the Yukes because they had their helmets.

"It's…huge, kupo!" cried Mog.

"What is that thing?" asked Nieta, in more awe than fear.

"It's…it's an Antlion," stammered Lianora. "But I thought they were extinct!"

"Well, seeing as they probably all live under the sand, I guess it's kind of hard to confirm their existence," said Sam, shrugging.

"Even so, they're usually much smaller," said Creston. "They're usually about the size of Lilty, or sometimes a bit bigger. This one must be ancient to have grown so large."

The Antlion let out another vicious roar, its stinky breath hitting the caravanners with full force.

"Phew! It's GOTTA be ancient if its breath smells that bad," remarked Ray, pulling a face and trying not to gag.

As if it had understood the thief's words, the Antlion charged towards the Selkie, moving through the sand and clipping its menacing fangs. Ray let out a yelp of surprise before leaping out of the way. He aimed a shot at the giant bug, which only seemed to enrage the beast more.

It was fighting time!

Sam and Star leaped forward, only to be knocked back by the monster's powerful legs. Sam managed to catch Star before they both hit the ground.

"Are you two okay?" called Garrett. Sam just gave him a quick nod. The Antlion moved forward again, its malevolent yellow eyes gleaming.

Garrett jumped backwards to avoid a bite from the monster, but as he did so, three scorpions appeared from the sand and surrounded him.

"Ah crap…guys? A little helped here!" he yelled as all three scorpions leaped at him. Swinging his spear in a wide arc, he managed to cut one open and knock back another. The third scorpion grabbed him with a claw and held him still as it injected him with poison from its tail.

"Damn!" cursed Creston, firing off a powerful fire spell at the scorpion, knocking it into a wall. Ray, meanwhile, was distracting the Antlion, moving out of the way of its fangs and pincers.

"Come on, you big lug!" shouted the Selkie. He dashed to the side, where he almost bumped into Mika. The two kept firing barrages of shots at the monster. The monster writhed and squirmed as it was continuously struck, but it eventually froze and opened its gaping mouth. A sand stream that was similar to that of the cave worm appeared.

Ray stared blankly. "Oh no," he said softly.

"MOVE, DUMBASS!" snarled Mika, pushing him out of the way and falling on top of him. The jet of sand whished harmlessly over them. Lia took the opportunity to stab the Antlion a few times, but it knocked her aside with a toss of its great head.

Nieta disposed of the last scorpion that had appeared, but three more appeared near Creston and Star. She'd let handle them. The Lilty girl went to go check on Mika and Ray, who had not gotten up after their fall.

To her surprise, they were making out.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" she shouted. Ray and Mika broke apart and Ray bit his tongue by accident. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHERE WE ARE!"

Ray ran past the annoyed Lilty and jumped in the air, muttering a "sorry" as he did so. The Antlion turned and Ray bashed its skull.

This would've been great if the Antlion hadn't caught him in its pincers. The Antlion's fangs lit up with a blue light, and then a surge of electricity ran through them, shocking poor Ray. The Antlion opened its jaws wide to eat the hapless Selkie, but Sam leaped in the air and severed one of the fangs holding Ray. With a howl of pain and fury combined, the monster dropped zapped Ray.

Ray felt his hair; it was now sticking out in all directions. "Aw, you've gotta be kidding-!"

His complaints were interrupted as the Antlion swung a mighty leg into Ray. It hit him right in the chest, and the one-eyed Selkie went flying backwards into stone wall. He let out a gasp as he hit the solid, brown rock and fell to the earth. He didn't get up.

"Shit!" hissed Creston, but this momentary distraction allowed the scorpion he had been facing to stab him with one of its tails. "Gah! Darn it!"

"Creston, are you all right?" asked Lia, who was making her way towards the fallen Ray, trying to avoid the Antlion's saffron gaze.

"It's nothing. I'll live."

Garrett took out the remaining ranks of scorpions, swinging and slashing his spear with all of his might. Creston, meanwhile, took the opportunity to clear himself of the poison. Star was kneeling next to the unmoving Ray.

"Is he okay?" asked Mika, trying not to let her fear show. Meanwhile, the Antlion lunged for Sam, who was dashing from side to side.

"He's alive. But he's unconscious!" reported Star. "He's not fighting again today."

"Better unconscious than dead," said Garrett, who ran up and stabbed the Antlion in the stomach. However, he received a shock (literally) when the enormous creature stabbed him with its charged fangs.

"YOW!" he yelped loudly. Glaring at the giant bug, he stabbed its torso with his spear. The Antlion screeched and knocked him away with a toss of its head.

Mika continued to aim shots at the beast, but the monster let out another jet of sand. Mika tried to move, but not quickly enough- she was petrified by the blast.

"Ah, shit!" yelled Garrett.

"Leave her!" said Creston. "Remember, she's safer like that."

But as the Yuke was speaking, three electric scorpions burst from the ground. Two of them advanced towards Mika.

"Why are these things so smart?" screeched Nieta, stabbing one of the electric scorpions crawling towards her Selkie friend. However, while the creature died, Nieta had forgotten about the scorpion's electrical properties, and felt lightning course through her body.

The other scorpion, noticing the injured Lilty, turned away from the stone Mika to attack Nieta instead. However, Mika picked the right moment to burst out of her stone imprisonment and fired six shots at the arachnid, taking it out before it could sink its stinger into Nieta.

"Thanks!" called Nieta, letting out a sigh of relief. But her relief was ended quickly when the third scorpion stabbed her in the back. Nieta slumped onto the ground, while Garrett brutally murdered the offending scorpion.

He picked up Nieta. She was still conscious, but in pain. "How are you doing?"

"My back hurts," moaned the young Lilty.

"You're done," growled Garrett. "Creston is too busy to heal you right now, and Ray and his trusty cure ring are useless at the moment. Rest on this wall."

"I can still fight!" protested Nieta. But Garrett had already dashed back into the fray. The male Lilty ran up to the Antlion and cut up its backside with his sharp spear. It let out another ear-piercing cry before slamming several of its legs on Garrett. Garrett tasted the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. That was it; this thing was GOING DOWN!"

With his normal cry of rage, Garrett began slashing and cutting the Antlion all over until the great creature knocked him aside. Sam took over, leaping into the air, and cutting off the Antlion's second pincer. The Antlion opened its jaws and bit down on Sam's leg. Sam gritted his teeth in pain, as the Antlion whipped him around like a rag doll. Mika rolled forward and shot the Antlion's eye, causing him to drop Sam. He let out a roar.

Beside Nieta, Ray stirred. He got up and stretched.

"That was a great nap!" said Ray cheerfully. He rubbed his head. "Ow…when did I get this…and what's going on?"

Nieta was about to explain, but at that moment, the Antlion's breath hit Ray straight in the face. With a weak mumble, he fell unconscious again.

Nieta looked at him. "Uh…wow."

Creston was casting many spells on the Antlion, but it breathed in the Yuke's face as well. Thankfully, his helm got rid of some of the stench, but he still fell to his knees, coughing harshly.

Lia pushed him out of the way, before she slashed the Antlion open with a swift uppercut. The Antlion retaliated by attempting to hit her with an electric beam. Lianora nimbly avoided it, while Sam and Star took over distracting the Antlion, which was definitely becoming weaker; its movements were growing sluggish, and its attacks had less power behind them.

Lianora, meanwhile, healed Creston. He was weak from the noxious breath, but he was still able to stand and fight.

A shrill scream cut through her thoughts, as Star was sent sprawling across the desert land by one of the Antlion's legs. It still seemed to have some power after all. Sam ran over to help Star, leaving Lia, Garrett, Mika, and a weakened Creston to take on the Antlion.

'_We're losing people by the minute_,' thought Lianora fearfully. '_We have to end this soon_!'

Garrett ran forward and leaped into the air. He brought is spear down, aiming for the bug's head. But the Antlion shifted just enough so Garrett landed in its back. It was hurt, but not lethally.

The Antlion shook Garrett off and aimed a blast at Mika, who was picking up of its severed fangs. She dodged, but the blast hit Creston, petrifying him. However, the Yuke broke free quickly.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," he assured. But he wasn't counting on the three stone scorpions that appeared out of nowhere attacking him.

"CRESTON!" yelled Lia, as her fellow Yuke disappeared under the bodies of the three scorpions. Garrett ran over and knocked them all aside. He continued to hold them off, as Creston cleared and cured himself. But that was all he could do before his arms fell.

"I can't move," he said.

"Great," groaned Garrett. "Now I just need to get my arms chopped off and we'll win."

Lianora stared at the Antlion, who was currently attacking Mika. She had to end this. Quickly.

With a battle cry, she ran at the Antlion and leaped in the air, aiming her sword at its head. The monster turned away from Mika to face the Yuke. But Lianora was too close; she couldn't miss. But her eyes widened behind her helmet when the Antlion opened its mouth. Lianora flew straight into the mouth of the beast, which swallowed her without even chewing her with its sharp teeth first.

Garrett stared in horror. So did Mika. Lianora couldn't have been eaten!

The Antlion roared triumphantly. Garrett stabbed the last scorpion, and then ran over in a frenzied rage.

"YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME!" he snarled. But as the Antlion turned to strike him, it let out a choking cry of confusion. Then it was twisting and writhing, its eyes flashing with pain. It was screeching, roaring, and groaning all at once. And then, as Garrett stared, confused, Lianora burst out of the monster's stomach.

The Antlion stared at her for a moment. Then it fell over on its side, dead. It slowly began to sink back into the sand. A few scorpions that were nearing Nieta turned towards the dead creature, then scuttled over and began to devour it.

"Wow…," commented Garrett. "They turn on their leader after its dead?"

Lia shrugged, then wiped herself off. She smelled horrible—an Antlion's stomach wasn't her favorite experience, that's for sure.

"Well…we did it," said Garrett.

"We did," agreed Lianora. She waved to Mika, who was trying to revive Ray (again). "Let's just heal everyone and get out of here."

"Okay," said Garrett. "You've gotta do just one thing first."

"What's that?"

"Change your clothes and take a bath. You reek."

**000**

And so we have finished another chapter. The last chapter for a little bit.

Favorite Parts: I really liked Garrett and Lia in this chapter. Their conversation at the end was good. Lianora's bursting from the Antlion's tummy was good too. I think that will go down as her most badass moment, and one of THE most badass moments in this story.

The Antlion wasn't like the Lich or Dragon Zombie, so he didn't get a cool conversation/fancy speech. That's why this chapter was pretty much all action/fighting/violence/comedy (in Ray's case).

On the subject of Ray, I knocked him out of this fight because he's been shining a little too much lately. I don't want him to start becoming the main character of this story. That's why Creston wasn't in here much, either. He's been getting a lot of attention this year, too.

Why did Lia make the finishing blow? All of the caravanners have made a finishing blow on a monster except Lianora by now, so I made her do it. (Sam killed the Marlboro, Star killed the Lizardman King, Garrett killed the Iron Giant, Nieta killed Armstrong, Creston killed the Lich (with Garrett) and Selstun, Lia just killed the Antlion, Ray killed the Dragon Zombie, and Mika killed the Cave Worm).

Uh, anything else? No, not really. However, the next chapter is going to be fairly short. We still have three chapters left for the fifth year.

Next Chapter: The caravan returns to Leuda. Mika settles some disputes, and Ray talks with royalty for a second time. After that, they return back home to Tipa. But what will they find waiting for them?

Antlion: -ROARS-

Mog: What he means is, review!

Ray: You speak monster?

Mog: Yup.

Antlion: -ROARS AGAIN-

Ray: What's that mean?

Mog: That if you don't review, he bite off all of your limbs, electrocute you, and swallow you have chomping on you with his many teeth.

Ray: …I'll pretend I didn't ask.


	73. Shock

Dun dun dun dun! DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!

Okay, I'm never doing that again- DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!

So in this chapter, it's going to be boring. But Mika settles some arguments, Ray has a fun conversation, and then the gang goes home.

I don't really want to rush this chapter, seeing as I really want to do the next one…badly.

So…I should finish this nifty chapter up, eh?

**000**

"Well then, we'll leave tomorrow morning. Is that all right with you lads and lasses?" asked Tristan, stroking his goatee.

"Yes, that's fine," said Sam, bowing politely. "Thank you."

"Oh no, thank you!" said Tristan, grinning. "You be the one payin', laddie!"

"Well, I guess we're staying for the night," said Sam, scratching his head sheepishly. "Sorry guys."

"Why is it so bad?" asked Nieta. "A day won't make a distance."

Lia leaned over her and whispered. "It's going to be awkward for Mika and Ray now that we're stuck here."

Mika scratched her head. "Well, I've gotta go take care of some business. I'll see you guys around."

"What do you mean business?" asked Garrett.

"Don't worry about it."

Ray yawned. "I'm getting' some grub. Anyone want to come with?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry," said Garrett. "I'm just gonna go to bed on that ship."

"And I need a bath," added Lianora. "So I'm busy as well."

"Well then, I'm leaving," said the one-eyed Selkie, walking away.

"Well, I suppose I'll be turning in as well," said Sam. Star nodded, at his side, as usual.

As they went to their cabins, Star looked at Sam.

"Are you sure Mika and Ray will be all right?"

"They're both tough…I think they'll be fine."

"Okay then…goodnight, Sam."

"Sweet dreams, Star."

As Sam closed his eyes, the same dream began to return to him. But this time, it was less blurry. He could see a kind, young woman with hazel eyes looking down at him lovingly. The strange music he had heard from before was louder and more distinct…

'_What's happening to me?'_

**000**

Mika ducked into the tent. Kar looked up from counting some money.

"Oh, hey Mika!" he said, his eyes surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"We're leaving tomorrow…," said Mika. "I just thought I'd say goodbye."

Lan walked in. "Kar, what's- oh, it's you."

Mika sighed. "Here we go," she said.

**000**

Ray sighed. He had already ducked through all of the shops, he was too tired to bounce on the trampoline, and he wasn't ready to go to bed yet. What the hell was HE supposed to do?

Ray was about to go chuck rocks into the water, when he saw that someone was still awake. They were sitting by a campfire all by themselves. It was a girl and she looked troubled. Ray walked over, his interest piqued.

(( Author's Note: Ray replaces Dow Hatty in this scene with Princess Fiona- and sorry if I fail a little at this scene…I've only seen it once before, and I forget most of the details! XD))

The girl looked at Ray as he sat down, an eyebrow arched.

"Uh…hi?" said Ray, smiling awkwardly.

"Hello," she said, turning away.

"I sort of noticed you were here, hanging out alone, so I decided to see what was up," explained Ray, scratching his head. He took another look at her.

She was dressed like most Selkies, but she still looked different. Her hair was more of an orangey-brown color, and her eyes were brown, unlike the Selkies usual gray, blue, or green. Her hairstyle was also peculiar; it looked strangely similar to a Lilty tuft.

"I'm Ray," said Ray, waving a hand.

"I'm Fiona," responded the girl.

"Fiona?" asked Ray. "Why do I get the feeling I've heard that before…"

Her gaze darkened. "I'm famous," she muttered.

Ray looked at her, taking in her appearance, and thinking of the name.

Everything clicked.

"You're that princess that disappeared!" he exclaimed, pointing at her.

"The very same."

"We've been seeing you everywhere!" said Ray.

"I know. I recognized you."

"How?"

"It's hard to miss that scarlet bandanna."

Was that really how everyone recognized him?

"Although the scar is new."

"Life is tough," said Ray. He didn't particularly enjoy talking about his scar.

"I see…"

"So, you seem kind of down. Is something bugging you?" prompted Ray.

Fiona sighed.

"Well, since you asked…it's just that…Knocfelna and my father just want me to be next in line for the throne…and I don't know if I really want that."

"Why not? Everyone would respect you, and you'd live in luxury!"

"Would you want that?" asked Fiona, looking at him.

Ray paused to think. While the prospect of being rich and powerful was tempting, he liked his simple, humble life as a caravanner.

"No…I wouldn't," admitted Ray. "But I'm different from you-"

"That's just it. My father doesn't get that I'm different from him. I want to do more with my life."

Her voice grew wistful as she continued. "I want adventure. I admire the caravanners. They get to explore, see the world, make friends…I want a life like that…"

"Everyone sees me as someone special, even though I haven't done anything! It's just…I want people to see me for me, not just for who my father is."

Ray thought it over for a minute. She raised a valid point, but…

"Adventure isn't all it's cracked up to be," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, think about it. You'd be doing the same thing we do. The caravanners make life better for the people of their village by collecting myrrh for them, and if you took the throne, YOU'D make life better for the people of YOUR city, right?"

"That's true…but it would be so boring!"

"So you have to make your own entertainment! Seriously, the Clavats I'm stuck with can be so boring…so I usually take it upon myself to spice things up a little."

"And third of all, while adventure is nice, it has its costs," added Ray, looking down.

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, while I've enjoyed the freedom, the experience, and finding the love of my life, there have been many costs," said Ray, looking down at his hands. "I've lost my parents, my sister, and my eye. I've almost lost my life and my friends many times. And if we died, we have to deal with the guilt of letting our village down in the afterlife."

"I'm so sorry."

"You really never realize how valuable something is once you've lost it. I miss my family every day. And I can't aim easily anymore."

"Do you think it would be possible for me to live like you?"

"Absolutely not. You haven't trained to fight at all, and if you went out right now, you'd be goblin food. And I could safely say I've almost died about 100 times, even though I HAVE trained for this."

"…"

"I personally think that you should just wait and see. Think about what you WANT to do, not what you DON'T want to do."

"I-I think I'll do that," said Fiona. She got up. "Thank you for speaking with me…your words of intelligence helped a lot-"

"Don't be so formal. We're not in Alfitaria."

She laughed. "Alright. Thanks a lot."

Ray smiled. "No problem."

**000'**

"Why are you here?" asked Lan, staring at Mika, but not in anger.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to my old friends," said Mika defensively.

"I thought you had new friends now," said Lan.

"Lan…you weren't jealous, were you?" asked Mika. Lan didn't answer.

"Lan…I'm sorry that I moved away. I couldn't help it. But I don't think you were mad about me hanging out with the other tribes. I think you were mad because I wasn't hanging out with YOU."

Lan huffed. "How could you just replace us?"

"I didn't. Creston is no Kar. Star is no you. And I love Ray, but he's not any of you guys."

Lan looked at her.

"I'd like to be friends still, if that's okay," said Mika, looking calmly at her old friend.

Lan looked down at her feet, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Mika. I guess I just thought that I was being replaced…I still hate the other tribes for what they do to us, but if you say your friends are decent people, then I'll believe you, and I won't judge you or them. I'll be your friend, Mika."

Mika smiled and gave her a hug. "Thanks Lan. I'm sorry we fought before."

"Same here." Kar smiled in approval.

"Where's Taka?" asked Mika. "I'll say a quick goodbye to him."

"Uh…are you sure?" asked Kar, looking at her awkwardly.

"Of course I am," said Mika. "I know he's still in love with me, but that doesn't mean I can't consider him a friend."

"Well, okay. He's in the back."

Mika walked back, and brushed a curtain out of the way. "Taka?"

He was there, lying in his bed, his body still covered with bandages. He looked to see who it was, and his eyes hardened.

"Mika," he said, his voice cold. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm heading back to the mainland and-"

"Why would you want to say goodbye to me, eh?" asked Taka, glaring at her. Mika sighed.

"Look, Taka, I'm sorry, but I've just got to be straight up," said Mika, sighing in aggravation. He was so persistent.

"I don't love you Taka. I like you as a friend, but I love Ray. That's how it's going to be. You're always going to be my friend Taka. Nothing more, and nothing less. I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

Taka gave her a look of anguish, before pulling himself up into a sitting position. He winced, but he wasn't hurt.

"I understand," said Taka. "I guess I just wasn't determined enough."

Mika put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Taka turned to face her, then flipped her over onto the bed. Mika let out a gasp of surprise. He had been injured a few days ago! He still couldn't be this strong!

"Taka, let me up!" growled Mika, eyes flashing dangerously.

"No," hissed Taka. "I'm tired of trying to be nice. I'll TAKE what I want now!"

Mika struggled against him, but his greater weight and remaining strength held her down. She didn't have her racket, or any method of fighting back against him. Her arms and legs were pinned down.

Kar and Lan rushed in. "Taka! What are you doing!" asked Kar in disbelief.

"Get out!" rasped Taka. "This has nothing to do with you, Kar!"

"Stop it, Taka! Don't hurt her!" shouted Lan, her eyes fearful.

"Oh, now LAN is on her side!" asked Taka, spitting flying from his mouth. "Is everyone against me! Does no one UNDERSTAND!"

Kar ran forward, and tried to pull Taka off, but Taka aimed a kick at Kar's head. Kar stumbled backwards into a wall, and fell to the ground unconscious. Lan let out a squeak of fear, and ran over to check on him.

"You're mine, Mika," Taka growled. His eyes were wild and crazy. Mika rarely felt fear, but it was extremely frightening to be scared of one of your old friends.

A hand grabbed Taka's shoulder. Taka looked up before he was ripped off of Mika and thrown against the wall.

Mika looked over. Ray had him pinned against a wall by the throat.

"Now you listen here," said Ray, his voice calm, almost pleasant. "I respect you. You're putting up a good fight, and I think that you're trying very hard to win Mika over. But while I respect you, you've lost. She doesn't want you, but…"

He leaned his face into Taka's and his eyes hardened. In a much more menacing voice he continued.

"Last time, I let you get in some free shots. And I still kicked your ass. So, if you EVER do something that'll hurt Mika, or is against her well, I'll break all of your limbs and throw you into the ocean to die. Got it?"

Taka's eyes glared at him with hatred.

"GOT IT!" growled Ray again, tightening his grip on Taka.

"I've got it," rasped Taka, his green eyes murderous.

"Good," said Ray, dropping him.

"C'mon," he said, offering a hand to Mika.

On the way out, Lan apologized to Ray. Ray accepted it, and told her to check up on Taka and Kar.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at Mika, who was very quiet.

"I went to say my goodbyes," explained Mika. "And Lan apologized, but when I went to see Taka, he tried to…tried to…"

"I understand. But if he lays a hand on you, I'll destroy him-"

"I don't need you to protect me," blurted out Mika. Ray looked taken aback.

"Sorry," she said. She looked out at the ocean. "I just…I find it hard to accept help from others…I don't want to always be protected, like some damsel in distress…"

"I get it," said Ray. "You're no damsel. That's what I love about you."

Mika laughed. "Ha ha. Thanks Ray. Let's go to bed."

"That is a wonderful idea!" said Ray, yawning loudly.

"By the way…what were you up to?" asked Mika curiously.

"Just went around and gave someone a little pep talk."

"Really? Who?"

"Oh, just the missing princess of Alfitaria."

"Oh…wait…what!"

**000**

It was the next day, and the gang was leaving Tristan's boat. They were at Port Tipa, waving goodbye to the old sailor.

"Goodbye youngin's!" shouted Tristan, sailing off in his boat. "It was good to have you on board!"

"We'll never forget you, Tristan!" shouted Star. "Thanks for all you've done for us!"

They continued to wave until Tristan's boat disappeared on the horizon.

"Well, we're home again," said Sam, holding Star's hand. "And then next year, we're off to find the Abyss."

"Yes…I've missed my family," said Star, smiling. "It'll be so nice to see them again."

They set off for their village, and within an hour, they were pulling into it. As they pulled in, a lone figure emerged from the village, and then walked out towards them.

"Who is that?" asked Garrett, staring.

"Maybe its Roland, coming to greet us," said Lianora.

"But he's outside of the crystal's barrier!" gasped Nieta.

"This is strange," said Star. They pulled to a stop as the person stepped toward the caravanner. Sam noticed that this person was taller than Roland, and that he wasn't stooped like the old Clavat. Then Star let out a gasp of shock.

"Who is it?" he asked, bewildered.

But his question was soon answered, as a tall man, with brown-black hair, emerald eyes, and long brown and black coat walked up to them, the smirk on his face making him instantly recognizable.

"Well, well, well," drawled Rex, grinning maliciously. "Look who it is. Hello Star."

Star's eyes widened in fear. What was he doing here?

**000**

Another chapter down.

Favorite Parts: I really only liked one part of this chapter, and that was the surprise ending. That's right people; Rex is back!

This was a big Selkie chapter, and this is probably going to be the last big Selkie chapter that there is. No more Ray and Mika hogging the screen time.

And so Lan and Mika are friends again. Too bad the moment was ruined by Taka trying to er…have his way with Mika. I can't wait for the "Taka-hate" reviews.

Well, I guess that's about it, so time for the next chapter segment.

Next Chapter: He's back! Rex has returned, and as usual, he's up to no good. Constantly hurting Star, one caravanner decides that he's had enough of the evil Clavat. But when it comes down to a physical brawl, who will win?

Taka: I'm requesting a review this time. Reviews help me win Mika's love-

Ray: -knocks him out-


	74. Showdown

Well, here we are…an awesome chapter is coming right up.

So, Rex has reappeared. And there's going to be an awesome fight in this chapter…just awesome.

I really can't describe it, so I'm just gonna start the chapter…yeah.

**000**

"Aw, come on," said Rex, laughing. "Surely you're not unhappy that I'm here."

Sam glared at him with hatred. This was the man that had caused so much pain in Star's life. While Clavats were typically mild, kind, and friendly, Rex was an exception…possibly THE exception, unless they counted Gurdy. But not even Gurdy was as bad as this…this…bastard.

Sam didn't just loathe him. He HATED him.

"What are you doing here, Rex?" asked Star, quietly. Rex's grin grew wider.

"I thought I'd pay our parents a visit," he said. "I was getting a little bit homesick."

"Nice joke," she said, her eyes flashing. "Now the truth."

"Well, I had some stuff that I felt like selling, and I decided to try and dump it in Tipa with all of its junk," explained Rex. Ray clenched a fist.

"Still, I was sort of sad," continued Rex, pacing. "Apparently, Mummy and Daddy weren't happy to see me. When I gave Dad a special discount, he smacked me."

Rex pointed to a red mark on his face. "But don't worry, Star. I left him in slightly worse condition."

"How DARE you hit our father?" asked Star.

"I believe in retaliation," said Rex. "That's how. I'm not gonna let him beat me around. That's called abuse."

"You know that you deserve it," said Creston, glaring at Rex.

"Careful, Creston, don't make me hurt you like that time oh so long ago."

Creston clutched his staff.

"No," said Star, waving a hand in front of Creston. "Don't touch him. He's not worth it."

"How heartwarming, protecting your friends," said Rex with a chortle.

"You doubt our strength?" asked Garrett through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't talking to you, half-pint."

"Well, this scam was a failure," said Rex, shrugging, and starting to walk away. "Might as well be off. Although, Star, it gets pretty lonely sometimes. Want to come with?"

"You've already made that offer," said Star. "And you know my answer."

"Still staying loyal to your friends and village?" asked Rex mockingly. "Because let me tell you where that gets you. Dead. This world is a death trap, and it destroys people physically, emotionally, and mentally."

"He has a point," muttered Creston, thinking of a certain insane Yuke.

"So what do you do? You take care of yourself. You don't have time to worry about other people and their problems. You go out and risk your life for the people of your village, and what do you get? Nothing. Zilch. You never get anything out of being in a caravan except scars and pain. So why do it?"

Star stared at her brother. He had some very good points…he was probably one of the smartest people to have come from Tipa. After all, he dominated the black market at around 17.

"Because they're my family," said Star, her voice calm and steady. "Because they're my friends. They are the people who have raised me and helped me become who I am today."

Nieta wiped away a tear, while Garrett patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. Ray gave her an approving nod.

"They laugh with me, feel fright with me, fight with me, cry with me, and celebrate with me. They are people who I am connected to, no matter what."

"Pssssh…sentimental garbage," remarked Rex, starting to walk away again. Star ran out and grabbed him by the arm.

"Rex! Is this really you? Do you actually feel nothing for these people? Our friends, our parents, your own sister? These are the people that raised you, cared for you, and loved you! How can you just put them aside?"

Rex glanced at her, and Star thought she caught something deep in his green eyes. Then he pushed her away violently, knocking her over.

"Like that," he responded, smirking. Then his eyes widened as he moved backwards just in time to avoid Sam swinging his sword. Rex took some safe steps away from him.

"Fight me," demanded Sam. Garrett looked at him in shock, and Lianora gasped.

"What?" asked Rex disbelievingly.

"I want you to fight me," repeated Sam, giving the other Clavat a death glare.

"YOU want to fight ME?" asked Rex, laughing. "You're joking, right?"

"I'm sick of you. I'm sick of all of the horrible things you've done, and have tried to do. And I'm sick of you hurting Star," said Sam, enraged.

"Sam, no!" said Star, but Creston pulled her aside.

"Star, this has to be done," he assured.

"You don't understand…Rex is dangerous!" whispered Star.

"All right," said Rex, stretching. "I'll accept, on two conditions. First of all, it's one on one. I don't want any of your little friends interfering with our match."

"That's fine," said Sam, determined.

"And two…no holds barred," finished Rex. "Weapons, the physical body, and magic are all allowed…except for cure spells."

"Fine. I accept," said Sam. Now even his friends were looking worried.

"Do you think this is a good idea, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Sam has been a caravanner, getting stronger over the past five years," said Mika. "Rex was a caravanner around ten years ago. This should be a walk in a meadow for Sam."

Sam waited. "Do you even have a weapon?" he asked.

"Don't be so impatient, kid," said Rex. He reached on his back and unsheathed not one, but two swords. The first one looked normal, and familiar…then Creston realized that it was a Bastard Sword, the same kind of sword that Sam had.

"A Bastard Sword…how fitting for a man like him," he muttered. But then he gasped at the sight of the second weapon. Rex was holding a dark blade in his right hand. It was not just dark in color—there was an aura of fear and dread radiating from it. The blade was black and gold, and there was a split in the middle.

Garrett shuddered. "What kind of sword is that?" asked the normally fearless Lilty.

"A weapon that I thought didn't exist," said Creston, his voice hoarse. "This is bad."

"Why, what is it?" asked Nieta, eyes wide.

"The Dark Weapon, Ragnarok," said Creston.

"That's what I was worried about," said Star in dismay. She wanted Sam to call off this fight more than anything, but she knew he would never do that.

Sam gulped. It wasn't his fear of Rex, but he recognized the sword as well. He had read about Ragnarok in his days of training back when he was a kid.

"Are you scared?" asked Rex, tauntingly. Sam shook himself out of his trance.

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm ready. Let's settle this."

"Then let the fun begin!" shouted Rex, swinging one of his swords at Sam. Sam ducked just in time, but then Rex kicked him in the stomach. As Sam staggered backwards, Rex lunged forward with his other sword. Sam barely managed to guard in time, before attempting to slice Rex open. However, Rex lazily blocked his attack with one sword, and stabbed him in hip with another.

Sam let out a loud yell of pain as Ragnarok sunk into his skin. Rex smiled viciously, pushing the blade in deeper.

Sam clenched a fist and punched Rex in the jaw, sending the Clavat backwards onto the ground. Sam ripped Rex's sword from his body and tossed it aside, only to have his legs kicked out from under him by Rex. Rex rolled over and grabbed his sword, before slashing wildly at Sam. Sam managed to escape, losing only a few strands of hair to Rex's blades.

"This isn't good…I didn't expect this," said Creston, shaking his head. "Sam is at a huge disadvantage."

"What do you mean?" asked Ray, not taking his eyes off of the battle.

"For starters, Sam only has one sword, and no shield, which means that he has less defense, but he can maneuver more quickly. But with Rex wielding two swords, he can successfully keep Sam in check with one sword, and strike him with the other."

At that moment, Rex and Sam clashed blades again, and Sam dodged Rex's Bastard Sword. Sam stepped quickly around Rex and cut him in the back. Rex winced with pain.

"Not bad, brat," said Rex, still grinning. "But I haven't even gotten started yet."

"Oh, and then there's another issue," remarked Creston.

"Which is?" asked Garrett.

"The fact that Rex is playing to KILL. I don't think Sam really has the heart to kill Rex. But Rex is heartless enough to murder Sam."

'_Sam,' _thought Star desperately,

Rex lashed out with Ragnarok again, with Sam sidestepping to avoid being hit by the dark weapon. Sam punched Rex in the side, before swinging a leg and hitting the other Clavat in the face. Rex staggered backwards, while Sam tried to slash his stomach, but Rex stopped his attack and managed to hit Sam in the right arm. Sam let out a cry, and dropped his sword. Rex grinned.

"IDIOT!" he shouted, swinging Ragnorok at Sam's exposed neck.

"NO!" shouted Lianora in fear.

Sam didn't know how he managed to do it, but he bent backwards just in time for Ragnarok to swing over him. At the same time, he grabbed his own sword, swung back up, and sliced Rex on the shoulder. Rex let out a gasp of pain and shock, before he punched Sam in the eye.

"Argh!" grunted Rex, feeling his wounded shoulder. His eyes flashed, and his normal smirk was gone. "Now you've done it."

"He's stopped smiling," said Star, shuddering. While his very presence made her skin crawl, the moment Rex stopped smiling was when things got scary.

"Am I the only one who thinks he looks scary when he doesn't smile, kupo?" asked Mog, gulping.

"No…the battle has only just begun," said Ray. He was gripping his hand with Mika's tightly.

Rex dashed forward, and his sword clashed with Sam's. Their weapons clashed, with the sound of metal on metal. Rex's two blades were steadily pushing Sam backwards, but Sam was holding his own, defending himself of Rex's onslaught. Eventually, Sam made his move, aiming a stab at Rex's stomach. Rex managed to just avoid being mortally wounded, and the attack hit his side. With a growl, Rex cast a fire spell on Sam at point blank range. Sam howled in pain, moving away from Rex. As he clear himself, Rex swung his two blades again, with Sam being knocked backwards by them. Rex tried to hit him again, but Sam hit the other Clavat with a good blizzard spell. Rex slid backwards and tried to hit Sam, but failed.

Rex threw Ragnarok at Sam, who was surprised and cut on the cheek. Rex followed up with a slow spell, which hit Sam as well. Sam felt his movements grow sluggish, and he was unable to stop Rex as the other Clavat slashed his torso. Sam fell backwards, his body stinging with pain. Blood was starting to drip out of his mouth.

"You asked for the fight, and now you're keeping me bored," said Rex scornfully. "Get up!"

He kicked Sam, who rolled over across the ground. Rex aimed to kick him again, but this time Sam grabbed his leg and pulled him down. Rex fell, but not before he cut Sam's hand, causing the Clavat to let go. As Sam got up, Rex used a thunder spell, but Sam dodged it fast. He swung his sword, but Rex parried the blow and slashed one of Sam's shoulders. Sam took a step backwards, but he didn't fall down. He ran forward, dodged Ragnarok, and cut Rex across the stomach. Rex angrily kicked Sam's hand, causing him to drop his sword, but Sam kicked Rex in the face, before rolling away to pick up his sword.

"I've caught onto your style, Rex," Sam said. "I know how to fight you now!"

"Really? I suppose that's good," said Rex, his old wolfish grin returning. "So let's see how you do now."

Rex stabbed his Bastard Sword into the ground, so he was only wielding Ragnarok.

"What the…he switched sword styles?" asked Garrett in disbelief.

Sam stared in astonishment. All this time he had been figuring out Rex's way of fighting…and now the other Clavat suddenly switched his entire style.

"Come on, Sam!" shouted Rex. "This should be easy for you. Now you only have to focus on one sword, right?"

That was true. Sam leaped into the air swung his blade down. Rex blocked, but Sam followed up with another sword strike. But to his astonishment, Rex jumped a few feet away before striking Sam with a powerful blow. Sam fell backwards, clutching his wounds.

"He's gotten faster now that he's dropped one of the swords," said Lianora. "Rex isn't just good; he's a master."

"Then Sam is a master, too!" said Nieta indignantly. "He's going to win! He has to win."

"I hope so," whispered Creston. Star was just silent, praying silently for her lover.

Rex dodged two more blows from Sam, and punched him in the face. Sam was stumbling around now, cough and spitting blood.

"He's injured, and he's losing too much blood…," said Creston. "He needs to end this quick."

Rex swung his sword again, but this time, Sam slashed at his hand. Rex dropped his weapon, and then Sam charged forward, slashing at Rex furiously. The other Clavat didn't have a second sword to defend himself with.

"Now that's called finding a weak point!" shouted Ray. "COME ON SAM! YOU'VE GOT THIS!"

Rex angrily punched Sam in the gut, before grabbing both of his swords. Sam turned to try and hit him again, but he hadn't realized that Rex had switched styles AGAIN. Sam was knocked backwards by another powerful blow. He fell onto his back.

Rex leaped in the air, swinging his blade in an enormous arc. But Sam moved out of the way just in time. But something was odd…

"You missed on purpose!" accused Sam. "Stop toying with me-"

He let out a gasp as Rex stabbed his arm…his sword arm.

"How's that for toying?" asked Rex, spitting out a droplet of blood.

Sam gnashed his teeth. Rex was starting to tire, and he was definitely getting slower with each minute. Sam summoned the last remains of his strength. He knocked Rex away from him by elbowing the other Clavat's stomach. Rex fell backwards to the ground, dropping both of his swords. He struggled to get up, but all of the wind was knocked out of him. Sam ran towards him

"You're done!" shouted Sam, swinging the sword. Rex's eyes glinted with panic for a moment. He reached down and grabbed Ragnarok quickly.

"SAM! LOOK OUT!" shouted Ray in horror.

"REX, NO!" yelled Star.

SHUNK!

Sam stopped moving as he stared down. Ragnarok had plunged into his stomach. Rex was still on his knees, but in one last act of desperation, he had stabbed Ragnarok at the oncoming Sam. Sam dropped his sword . Rex yanked his sword out of Sam, and then gave Sam two nasty cuts with his blades- they formed an X on the Clavat leader's chest. Sam fell backwards, unconscious and bleeding heavily.

"No," croaked Garrett. "No way."

Creston ran forward, Ray and Lianora at his side. "We have to stop the blood," shouted Creston. "This battle is over."

"Hmmph," snorted Rex, glaring at Sam in contempt. Then his eyes widened in shock as Star ran forward and punched him. Rex stumbled backwards as Star slashed her sword across his body four times—one on his stomach, two on his chest, and one across his astonished face. Rex fell backwards, bleeding almost as badly as Sam. Star got on top of him, pinning him down with her blade at his throat.

"You killed him!" snarled Star in rage, tears streaming down her face. "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU BASTARD!"

Rex spit out a drop of blood and it hit her in the face. She stared down at him, tears still pouring down her face.

"Did I?" asked Rex, his voice cold and quiet. At the same time, Star heard Creston talking.

"He's still alive…I actually don't think he's in any danger of dying…but he's definitely going to be hurt for a while."

Star turned back to face Rex. "I left him alive," rasped Rex, his eyes holding some emotion Star couldn't make out.

"You knew…," she whispered. "You…you didn't kill him."

"I can't believe this," remarked Rex. He stared at her, his eyes still indescribable. "I suppose I'm not as cold hearted as I thought. And I suppose you've got an answer to your question, Star."

He violently pushed her off of him. "Get off me. I'm leaving."

He struggled to stand up, and faced the Tipa Caravan. "I won. That's all I care about. And now, I'm leaving."

And with that, still covered and blood and weak, Rex walked away.

Star stared after him. Her mind was whirling and swirling around in confusion.

Rex had known. He knew that he hadn't killed Sam. He deliberately didn't kill Sam. But why?

Star stared down the path, where she could still see the faint figure of the bloody Rex walking away.

'_Rex…my brother…the more I see and think about you, the less I know.'_

Star turned around and ran towards Sam. The Clavat was awake as Creston was patching up his wounds.

"Sam!" she gasped. "How are you?"

He looked up at her, his eyes dark with pain. "I'm…fine. Star…I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" asked Star, eyes wide.

"I couldn't beat him…I was weak…he won…"

"Sam, that doesn't matter," said Star. Sam had some tears going down his face, but whether they were from pain or his anger at losing to Rex, she didn't know.

"Never again," he whispered, pulling himself up, then standing up.

"Sam, sit down your injured," said Creston harshly. But Sam didn't pay attention to him.

"Never again," swore Sam. "I will never lose again!"

Creston was still trying to get him to sit down, but the rest of the caravanners were listening to Sam's vow, as Sam started to raise his voice.

"From…now…on," said Sam, coughing slightly. "I will never lose to anyone, not him, or anyone else! Do you hear me?"

Ray grinned, and Garrett smiled. Lianora nodded, smiling behind her helm.

"I PROMISE YOU! I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!"

Star looked at him "Sam…"

"Do you all hear me?" asked Sam, falling over.

The rest of the caravanners smiled at each other.

"We heard you," said Creston, shortly. "Now stay still, stupid."

Sam smiled. Then he closed his eyes and laid back on the ground. He was tired.

**000**

And so we are done.

Favorite Parts: Sam vs. Rex, obviously. But Sam's vow is good too.

So yes, now the Dreamcatcher and Longinus have shown up, I obviously had to make the Dark Weapon Ragnarok appear too, didn't I? So there you go. BUT, instead of giving Ragnarok to one of the heroes, I decided to give it to Rex (because of his dark and villainous nature).

So it was Sam vs. Rex. I bet you were all surprised by who won. But then I though, both Selstun and Taka have lost every time. And Rex was strong. So Sam lost.

Sam did not lose because he was WEAK. He lost for the reasons Creston and the others said. Rex had the advantage, more experience, and unpredictability (switching his sword styles). Also, where Rex was prepared to take another person's life, Sam really wasn't.

And yet…Rex didn't kill Sam? We see a bit of a different side to Rex towards the end of this chapter, don't we? Why would he scar Sam instead of kill him?

Well, I'll let you work out your own answers to that. Anyways, time for the next chapter segment…

Next Chapter: It is time for the festival again. But for the Tipa caravan, it may be there last. Watch them enjoy their time among their families for what may be the last time.

Rex: And because I'm so awesome, I get to do a second review request. AHAHAHA! So review, people! You know you want to!


	75. The Longest Night

Wow…time for another chapter of the story. We're at Chapter 75? Dang, this story got WAY longer than I planned. I thought it would end around chapter 50-60.

This is pretty much the final festival of the story…so it'll be some happiness and some sadness.

GET TO YOUR READING –FLAILS-

**000**

It was the night of the festival once more, and once again, the people of Tipa were celebrating their village being able to survive for another year.

Nieta smiled, enjoying the festivities. But deep down, she was a bit wistful. She remembered when she used to be young, innocent, and naïve. She wished she could have danced with all of them, so carefree and happy.

But the world had changed her. The world had changed all of them. Nieta wasn't a little girl anymore. She had seen horrible monsters, creepy dungeons, and had killed living creatures. And now, she and her friends were going to the Abyss, to dive into the unknown. Nieta shivered.

But it had to be them…they had to do this.

Nieta looked at the moon. It hadn't even started to go down yet. This was the longest night of her life.

She got up to go and spend time with her family. It may be the last time she ever got to do so.

**000**

Lianora was sitting next to her father and grandfather, eating some rainbow grapes, and watching everyone celebrate.

"You're awfully quiet," said her father. "Even for you."

"I'm just a bit tired," lied Lianora. "After all, another tough year went by. Plus, the whole "Rex" dilemma happened…"

"I'm still surprised that whippersnapper had the nerve to show his face back here," said her grandfather.

"Well, he did, but it's all over and done now," pointed out Lia.

"Good point…I'm off to bed. An old coot like me needs his sleep," said Lia's grandfather. He gave Lianora a brief hug and then walked off to bed.

Her father looked at her. "You are troubled."

"I'm just tired."

"I said troubled, not tired," said her father. "I know when you're tired, Lia. And right now, you're not. I raised you, after all."

"Just…thinking about the next year," explained Lianora.

"You know better than to lie to me. Is this what I taught you growing up?"

Lianora sighed. "We're…we're going to find the Abyss, father."

"The Abyss? Isn't it simply a myth?"

"We've found proof…and apparently, that's where the meteor that brought miasma to us landed. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Her father thought for a moment. "You mean that you're going to the Abyss to try and find a way to stop miasma, or at least what caused it."

"Yes."

"And you're worried about what you might find, or what might happen there."

"Yes."

"Is there any way for me to stop you?" asked the older Yuke.

"I'm sorry, father. This is something we have to do."

"I see…well then…I wish you good luck."

"You're not going to try and stop me?"

"Lia, I know that even if I did, you wouldn't listen. Sometimes, we don't do things because we want to. Sometimes, it's simply our destiny."

Lianora looked away, tears threatening to leak out of her helm. "Please don't tell the other families…unless we don't come back."

"You have my word," said her father, hugging her. "But please…come back…for my sake."

"I'll try," she whispered. "I'll try."

**000**

Ray sipped some striped apple cider. "Do you think they're still at it?"

Creston snorted, taking a sip of his own drink. "Of course they are. The fools. It's obvious that he's going to have a scar. Stop trying to make it go away."

They were both referring to Sam, who had been whisked away by his family as soon as he returned home. They were apparently trying desperately to get rid of the wounds. But Creston, the caravan's medical expert, knew that some wounds would never disappear.

Ray was just happy to have someone to talk to. Most of the caravanners were spending this last night with their families, due to the fact that they may never see them again. Seeing as Ray and Creston were both the last of their families, they had simply wound up sitting next to each other.

Ray looked at Creston. "Do you ever miss them?"

"Who, my family?" Ray nodded.

"I suppose sometimes I do…not really my father so much…he was never much of family to me…but I miss my mother every day."

"Do you think they watch over us?" asked Ray, looking up at the stars. He was remembering what the Dragon Zombie had said.

Creston laughed. "Oh come on. Didn't you argue about that against the Dragon Zombie? And now you're uncertain?"

"I just don't know," said Ray, still watching the night sky. "I just wonder if they would try to stop us from doing this."

"Would you listen if they tried?" asked Creston.

"Of course not!" laughed Ray.

"Same here, but I'd definitely be more reluctant. When you think about it, we have less to lose than the others."

"That's true…I've lost pretty much everything except my friends and Mika," said Ray thoughtfully.

"That's true for me as well, although I'd single out Lianora instead of Mika," agreed Creston. "Speaking of which, I'm going to go find her. I hope you don't mind?"

"Nah…I think I'll just head home," said Ray.

**000**

Mika had noticed Garrett walking up towards the cliff that overlooked the sea in the village. Curious, she followed him.

She noticed Garrett hunched over and watching the waves. She frowned.

"Uh, Garrett? Are you okay?" she asked. Garrett gave a startled jump of surprise, and then wiped an arm across his face.

"Mika," he said, his voice gruff. "What do you want?"

"Are you crying?" she asked.

"No!" shouted Garrett. "If you must know, my brother pushed me down on the ground. Stupid dirt from the ground got in my eye."

"Right…," said Mika, almost sarcastically. "So why are you up here? And why are your eyes…damp?" she asked, looking for the right words.

"I…don't like it when others see me like this," he mumbled.

"You're worried," said Mika.

"Shouldn't you be with your family?" growled the easily-angered Lilty. Mika would have to be careful not to make his notoriously short temper rise.

"I've already spent time with them…and I've said my…goodbyes," she said, looking away.

"Me too," said Garrett, his voice softer. It was very rare to see Garrett nervous or sad. "I just…I WANT to stop miasma, but I just think about all the stuff we may leave behind…stuff we may never see again."

"I understand," said Mika, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I-I'm scared, too. But it's something we have to do."

"Why did it have to be us?" asked Garrett, almost exasperatedly.

"I don't think it was chance," said Mika thoughtfully. "I just get this sense that it was always meant to be us. That's just how it is."

"Maybe you're right," said Garrett. "I'm heading back. I'll go see if Nieta is anywhere around."

"She'll like that," agreed Mika, smiling.

"You should go and find Ray," added Garrett. "He's got no family left. He's bound to be a bit lonely."

Mika smacked her forehead. "You're right. I totally forgot. I'll go see him."

Garrett smiled. "Atta girl. See ya around Mika. Could you…not mention this to anyone?"

Mika rolled her eyes. He was still trying to keep up the tough guy image. "Sure."

**000**

Creston was sitting by his mother's grave, deep in thought. Lianora was off with her family for right now, and Creston didn't want to interfere.

"I thought you went to bed."

And speaking of Lia, she appeared right behind him, sitting next to him.

"So this is your mother's grave?" she asked.

"Yes…I usually come here and pay a visit before I leave for another year…I usually come here later on when the festival is almost over. I was never big on parties."

"I'm sorry," said Lia. "You must wish she was still alive."

"Of course I do," said Creston. "But even if she was alive, there's someone else I'd prefer rather than her."

Lia smiled behind her helm. "Garrett?"

"Ha ha. No, you. After all, my mother could only stay here for the most part. But you're with me everywhere I go."

"I can't argue with that, Creston," she said, giggling quietly. "I'm happy to be with you, too."

**000**

"So, here we are," said Nieta, slow dancing with Garrett. He nodded stiffly.

"Y-yeah."

"It's a beautiful night," said Nieta, trying to make conversation.

Garrett nodded again.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Nieta, already knowing the answer. Garrett wasn't hard for her to read.

"After we set out next time…we don't know what's going to happen…I've been brave all my life, but I can't help it…I'm scared," confessed the male Lilty.

"Of dying?" asked Nieta.

"Of losing my life, my family, and you," said Garrett quietly.

"Well…even if things turn out badly, I'll never forget the time we've had together," said Nieta, smiling. Garrett looked into her eyes, and while they usually were hard and angry, Nieta always noticed they were soft and caring whenever he looked at her.

"I…I've been happy too, Nieta," he stammered. Words were not his forte. "And…there's never been anyone else like you…I'm glad you're in my life."

"And you in mine," murmured Nieta. They continued to dance quietly. It didn't really matter that they may die in a few days' time. All that mattered to them right now was each other.

**000**

Ray continued to chug his apple cider, relaxing in his own house. When he took his mouth away from the bottle, a hand grabbed his arm.

"That better not be alcoholic," warned Mika, a steely glint in her eye.

"Of course not," snorted Ray. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with your family?"

"I've already been with them for most of the night. I came here to see you."

Ray grinned and leaned up to kiss her. After a few minutes of their tongues dancing together, Ray pulled away.

"Just to see me. Right," he said, chuckling. "Is this heading to the bedroom?"

Mika smirked.

Later on, after a few rounds of…er…passionate love, Ray and Mika were both lying next to each other in Ray's bed.

"So…what's on your mind?" asked Mika, focusing her gaze on him. Ray gave her a look, and then stared at the ceiling.

"Eh…not much at all really. My mind's a pretty dull place at the moment."

"You're not even thinking about what happens next?"

"Why think about it? It's going to happen anyway. Why brood?"

"Fair point. Aren't you even worried?" asked Mika incredulously.

"I am, but…I think this was all just destined to happen. I think we were chosen to do this."

"But that doesn't mean we'll succeed," pointed out Mika.

"Why would the gods choose us if we were going to fail?"

"Touché," admitted the female Selkie. Ray sighed and stroked her hair.

"I AM scared…scared at losing everything…even when my family and sister died, I still had you and our friends…but now," said Ray, his eyes dark with worry. "There is always the fact that the gods chose us, but maybe only ONE of us will succeed."

"You think some of us may die?"

"I don't know. THAT'S what scares me. Not myself dying—I've almost died so many times it usually doesn't even faze me now…but if I lost you…imagine us coming home without Garrett, Star, or Creston."

Mika shivered. Ray's words raised the cruel truth. They MIGHT be able to stop miasma…but who would be sacrificed if they did so?

"I think we'll be fine," stated Mika firmly.

"Really?" asked Ray, arching a brow.

"Yes…so long as I have the others…so long as I have you, then I know things will all work out. You'll see."

Ray grinned. "Of course. I trust you."

Mika smiled, and kissed him again. They were scared as hell, but they were determined.

**000**

Star was sitting next to a tired Sam, who was lying in his bed. His wounds weren't too bad, in all honesty- the families were making a mountain out of a mole hill- but only Star knew WHY his wounds weren't that bad.

Rex was an enigma. That was definitely true all right.

Sam looked up at her, pulling himself into a sitting position.

"I keep telling them that I feel fine," he said, almost exasperated.

"Well, they worry about you," argued Star.

"I know but…well, I guess I shouldn't be mad at them…after all, this may be the last time I…," his voice trailed off and he gulped.

"It's okay, I know how you feel. I mean, this may be the last time I see my family too."

Sam sighed. Star looked at him. She nodded, willing him to speak.

"I just…if I couldn't defeat Rex…am I strong enough to go to the Abyss?" whispered the Clavat.

"Of course you are, Sam!" said Star. "You're very strong! You're our leader!"

"But what if I'm not strong enough?" asked Sam.

"You are! We believe in you. I believe in you!"

"Thanks Star…," said Sam. "I guess you're right…and I'm happy that you've always been there for me…I love you…"

Star looked at him, tears threatening to leak out of her eyes. "I love you, too, Sam. I don't know what we're going to face out there, but…we're going to need the gods on our side…"

"I don't need the gods…I have you," whispered Sam, smiling. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. Star sat there, watching him.

This really was the longest night.

**000**

Average chapter is average.

Favorite Parts: I think the Mika and Garrett scene was pretty powerful, although the Lia/Father, Garrett/Nieta, Creston/Ray, and Ray/Mika scenes all give it a run for its money.

This chapter is romance, anticipation, fear, and sorrow, all in one. It may after all be the last timethey see their families.

Ohoho! FORESHADOWING! BWAHAHAHAHA!

Next Chapter: The Tipa Caravan leaves again. It's time for them to journey to the Abyss, and try and destroy miasma once and for all.

Tipa Caravan: REVIEW! WOOT!


	76. Nostalgia and Nightmares

Welcome to the start of the final year of this story!

In this episode, our heroes have left their village again…but then they get a letter.

I will say no more. Let us begin.

**000**

It was a cloudy day as the Tipa caravan left their village again. Garrett steered the caravan along the old roads.

How long had it been since they had first started out?

Only five years. But it seemed like so much more than that. They had gone from young, inexperienced fighters trying to save their village, into older, more mature warriors determined to save the entire WORLD.

But at what cost?

Sam looked at their team. Kind, beautiful Star. Angry, gruff, but loyal Garrett. Innocent, strong Nieta. Wise, smart, yet snarky Creston. Friendly, calm, and sweet Lianora. One-eyed, wisecracking Ray. Wily, tough Mika. Brave, selfless Mog. And then himself.

They had all grown up, and Sam couldn't be anymore proud of them. He didn't just like them anymore. He loved them. They were a family.

Ray began to whistle, swinging his new weapon around. Lianora had kindly crafted him Dreamcatcher, the weapon he had found in Conall Curach.

"I can't wait to try this thing," he admitted, grinning.

"Just don't use one of US as a training dummy," said Creston sharply.

"Rain on my parade, why don't you?" groaned Ray, sighing.

"That's my job. Stamping down on all of your crazy ideas."

"Creston, that's MY job," pointed out Mika. "Your job is to piss off Garrett."

Garrett frowned at the head of the carriage, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Well, that's a very easy job," responded Creston, but his tone was light and friendly. Garrett looked back at him, and chuckled.

"I think I've learned to restrain myself a little bit," the Lilty said.

"I think Nieta may have had to do with that," said Star, giggling. Nieta giggled next to her.

"So…," said Nieta, looking back at Sam. "Are we going directly to the Abyss?"

"You're asking me?" replied Sam.

"Sam, you've been our leader for about five years now," said Creston impatiently. "Stop getting surprised when we ask you to lead us."

Sam scratched his head, and wiped some bangs out of his eyes. "Well…I don't know…do we have any stops we should make?"

"Maybe we should stop at Marr's Pass and the Fields of Fum for supplies," suggested Lia.

"That's a good idea. I'll second it," agreed Mika.

"I third it," said Creston.

"Then we'll stop for supplies," concluded Sam.

"Kupo!" came a voice from up ahead. Ray squinted to see a little mail moogle dashing out of the fog.

"I've got a letter for a Ray Zul," reported the moogle. "It says to look for a guy with a big red bandanna."

He looked up at Ray. "Oh wow, it really IS stupid looking. My other mail moogle friends weren't lying!"

Ray scowled as Mika and Nieta laughed.

"It really DOES look stupid," said Mika.

"That's not what you said on the night of the festival," countered Ray with a smirk. Mika blushed and laughed. Garrett made a gagging noise.

"Gimme that," said Ray, huffing. He opened the envelope (which had a rather elegant pattern on it).

He started to read it. The others watched as his eyes narrowed, then his eyebrows arched, and then he smiled.

"What is it?" asked Creston.

"We've been invited to a festival in Alfitaria," said Ray, grinning. "It takes place tomorrow!"

"Us? Why?" asked Nieta sharply.

"Probably because I helped the princess of Alfitaria find her true calling, and successfully got her to go back home," said Ray.

"Wait, what?" asked Creston. "Missing princess? You mean Princess Fiona?"

"Yeah, that girl."

"YOU got her to go back home?"

"Don't sound so shocked, Creston," said Ray, his grin growing bigger. "I AM very persuasive."

He winked at Mika, who smiled.

"Well…should we go?" asked Sam.

"Alfitaria has very good supplies," admitted Creston.

"Nieta?" asked Sam, looking at the Lilty. "Are you okay with going back there? We know the dilemmas you've faced there."

"I'm fine with it Sam. I'm not a coward," said Nieta exasperatedly. "Stop treating me like a kid!"

Sam noticed the amusement in her eyes. "Alright, so we're going to Alfitaria. That's good."

"Right, I've done my job," said the mail moogle. "Bye, kupos! Bye, bandanna head."

Ray folded his arms. "I'm getting really sick of everyone making fun of my bandanna."

"Then don't wear it," said Garrett, yawning.

"If I made fun of your armor, would YOU take it off?"

"No," said Garrett grudgingly.

"So? What are we waiting for?" asked Nieta. "Let's go to Alfitaria!"

**000**

They were walking through the streets of Marr's Pass. They had recently stopped to look at the Mushroom Forest, where memories came rushing back. Mika being stolen by an Ahriman…the Marlboro…and their meeting with the Striped Brigands just before. She still remembered…although the memories WERE a bit foggy.

Mika wondered where Bal Dat and Artemicion were now.

Garrett looked around, trying not to smile. But even he was having flashbacks…

He remembered getting enraged over finding out his father gave up his glory…and he remember Nieta comforting him in the dead of the night. He sighed. He could barely remember those days, but still…life had been so simple back then…he used to get angry over the slightest things, and simply slash and kill what was in his way. But now, he wouldn't do that anymore…he couldn't do that anymore.

Star giggled as she remembered punching a perverted boy in the nose here, while Ray laughed at the time where Mika and he had to share a bed (before they were together).

But the memories were distant…far away.

Creston briefly wondered if Raem had already claimed them…but he knew that he hadn't taken them completely…not yet anyways.

For as long as they could, they would hold onto their memories.

But how long WAS that?

**000**

After going shopping, it was fairly late. Sam decided that should travel a bit further. So they continued along the path, and camped alongside the road for the night. In the distance, they could see the cavern that led to the Mine of Cathuriges.

"Remember that?" asked Ray, his tone nostalgic. "That was where we finished our first year as a caravan together."

"Yes," said Star. Her voice was almost wistful. "I remember."

"I never liked that place," said Nieta, shaking her head. "That bomb that blew up is STILL fresh in my mind."

"At least you remember it," pointed out Creston. "I can barely remember anything that happened there."

"Raem must be hard at work devouring our memories," stated Lianora darkly.

"Well, we'll get them back then," said Sam, his voice determined. His vow was still in his head.

'_I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!'_

"So, who wants the first watch?" asked Sam.

"I'll take it," said Garrett.

"All right…I'll relieve you then," said Sam, crawling next to Star in their sleeping bag.

Garrett nodded.

Sam looked at Star's smiling face before he went to sleep.

**000**

_He was there again. Locked in the dream. The blurs of white and green were back, and he could make out the sweet face of his mother. Her kind brown eyes and long brown hair…her smooth, tan skin…the smile that radiated love and warmth. Sam reached out to her._

_But something was strange…the blurs of white were whirling and swirling and growing darker…the green had faded into a blood red. His mother's kind face was fading._

_Sam felt fear…white, hot fear, coursing through his body. What was going on? He felt that there was something there, something horrifying that was causing this terror…this mind blowing fear…_

_A great shadow loomed before him…Sam looked down, noticing that he was no longer a baby like in the dream, but his actual age. The giant shadow laughed at him…mockingly, cruelly. Sam heard screams, and tried to block them out by covering his ears. But both the screams and cackles of the shadow still managed to make it through to him._

"_You fool," hissed a malevolent voice. Sam had heard it before, in that vision he had had a long time ago. "You honestly think you can beat me? You, and your ragtag band of caravanners? Fool…you do not know the power of Raem."_

"_You will die…and they will die…you will ALL die…and then your villages will fall…and the next one…and the next one."_

_Sam was holding his head, the laughter and screams growing ever louder._

"_You cannot win…you cannot be victorious…you cannot defeat Raem…"_

**000**

Sam awakened, taking deep, gasping breaths. He clutched his head- he had an extremely painful migraine. He looked down beside him. Star was still sleeping soundly…it had just been a dream.

Garrett ran around the front of the caravan. "Sam?" he asked, looking at the state of him. His eyes were wide with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing…just a nightmare," said Sam.

"Oh…okay…for a minute I thought we were being attacked," said Garrett, sighing in relief. "You can go back to sleep."

"No…I'll take over."

"Are you sure?" asked Garrett, looking at him, still eyeing him doubtfully. "You look like you're exhausted."

"No, Garrett, I'll take the watch. Get some sleep. You'll need it."

"Whatever, Sam," said Garrett, shrugging. "You're the leader- I won't argue."

"Of course not. You only argue with Creston."

Garrett let out a quiet chuckle. "That's true…all right, I'm turning in. See ya in the morning."

He crawled next to Nieta in her sleeping bag.

"Good night," said Sam quietly.

Sam stayed awake for the rest of the night, not bothering to wake up Creston or Nieta for their watches. Deep down, he was remembering the fear…the awful, heart stopping fear.

What if this all was a big mistake?

"What if I'm leading them all to death?" whispered Sam.

**000**

Oooh spooky.

Favorite Parts: The nostalgic scenes of the caravanners were good to right, but Sam's dream evolving into a nightmare was rather terrifying. I would call that one of the creepiest scenes in the entire story (although Star's nightmare with Rex was pretty frightening).

You could say that that's Sam's biggest fear right now; he's afraid that all of his friends will die, thus causing every village to be wiped out.

Because Tipa is pretty much SCREWED if they fail.

Very ominous chapter…I like it. :D

Next Chapter: It's a party in Alfitaria. The Tipa caravan decides to see what the Princess summoned them for. They get a big surprise, and some interesting discoveries are made.

Selstun: Due to the dark nature of this chapter, I'M asking for a review. Review, dear readers…and beware…


	77. Return of the Princess: Ray's Reward

ANNNNNNNNNNNND we're ready to start another chapter!

Alfitaria festival…woo hoo…pretty much the last party party chapter. :P

So…really, not much else to say…I'm not going to like this chapter, but I'll try…LET'S GO!

**000**

Alfitaria was…lively, to say the least.

The Tipa caravanners had left their carriage and walked into the large city. And this festival put Tipa's festivals to shame. Thousands of people were there, many who were not even from Alfitaria, but who had migrated there just to be a part of the celebration. It seemed as though the return of Princess Fiona had brought a new hope to the city.

"Because, y'know, the caravans don't bring hope at all," crowed Ray, grinning.

But all in all, the gang wasn't complaining. In fact, it was better than they thought- in honor of the Princess's return, almost everything there was FREE…if not free, then the prices were great.

"I could buy the greatest armor!" shouted Garrett, grinning.

"Thank goodness we didn't shop in Marr's Pass," said Lianora to Nieta. "The prices there were much higher than these ones, surprisingly."

"All of the striped apples I can eat!" yelled Ray.

"I can't believe they're so happy," whispered Star to Sam as they continued to walk through the city. Children were playing and cheering happily, the women were chatting together brightly, and the men were joking around. It was a day that was going to be celebrated by all, rich and poor, young and old, and Lilty and Yuke alike.

Creston couldn't believe the huge celebration either, but he expressed it in a different way.

"You'd think that the miasma was gone," drawled Creston sarcastically, eyeing the villagers with annoyance. "They are so happy by their princess's return, that they've completely forgotten that she abandoned them because she didn't want to do her job. So what do they do? Throw a festival when she comes back, and completely IGNORE her childish runaway."

"Creston!" whispered Lianora urgently. "Don't be rude!"

"Well, it's true."

"He's got a point," admitted Nieta. "They're beside themselves with joy over a girl coming back home to rule. They've already got a king and such."

"Yes, but…who knows?" said Star, smiling. "Maybe if we destroy the miasma, WE'LL get a festival like this!"

"That's a pretty big if," commented Creston.

"Stop being negative," complained Sam. "Just enjoy the princess's festival."

"I don't see why she's so special, except for her royalty. I mean, I could probably be a better ruler than her."

"But you lack the ability to make people like you," said Mika teasingly. Creston glared at her.

"Not to mention you're not as much as a sight as Princess Fiona," added Ray. He smiled mischievously. "She's a looker, that's for sure. Good figure, nice eyes…"

Mika yanked his hair in annoyance. Ray winced, before his usual smirk returned.

"I was never one for royalty though," he said smoothly, wrapping an arm around Mika. She punched him playfully.

"Didn't the princess ask you to see her, Ray?" asked Star. Ray felt a sweat drop as Mika stiffened.

"She said she just wanted to talk!" said Ray, avoiding a murderous gaze from Mika.

"I wonder why?" asked Star innocently. Ray gritted his teeth. Why was she still talking?

"I wonder why, too," growled Mika, her eyes fiery. Ray's usual grin was dropping.

"Well, why don't we go and see her?" asked Sam. Creston and Garrett restrained Ray from hitting Sam upside the head. At the same time, Lia and Nieta were restraining Mika from trying to FORCE answers out of Ray. The two Clavats were still acting like nothing was happening.

"It would be rude to keep her waiting for too long," said Star.

"All right, guys, let's go see what the princess wants," decided Sam.

"If you even so much as THINK about her in a way that's more than friends, I'll murder you right here during the festival," hissed Mika. Ray grinned.

"I love it when you get wily."

"You won't like it when you're being strangled by your own bandanna."

"Point taken."

They slowly made their way to the center of the festive city (there were many crowds, shops, and people in the way, so they weren't going very fast). All the while, Mika watched Ray closely, Garrett was talking animatedly to Nieta, while Creston kept making remarks about the townsfolk (which earned him many glares from passing pedestrians, and worried shushes from Lianora). Eventually, they managed to push their way through the crowds and arrive in the center of town (which was, needless to say, MORE crowded).

Sam let out a whistle. "Wow. This place is more packed than I thought."

"I can't see the princess," said Nieta, frowning.

"Well, seeing as there's a giant crystal that omits half of this plaza from view, I'd say that-," began Creston.

"Seriously," grunted Garrett. "Stop being a wet blanket. You're not impressing anyone."

"I'm impressing my fan girls."

"Look, stop bragging because you're the most popular character in this story!" growled Mika.

"Well, actually, I won the poll," pointed out Ray.

"MOVING ON!" shouted Nieta. "Where is she?"

"I'm guessing that she's at the palace entrance," said Star.

"Why would you say that?" asked Lianora.

"Because everyone is looking over there," explained the female Clavat. "And many of them are waving…I'm guessing the princess is over there, observing the party."

"Well, can we get this over with? Mika's scaring ME now, and she's angry at Ray," muttered Garrett, backing away from the Selkie.

As they headed over towards Princess Fiona, Star walked beside Mika.

"You know," she said softly, "Ray only loves you. You shouldn't be so worried."

"I know he only loves me," muttered Mika. "I just hope he doesn't LUST after someone else."

"Lust?" asked Star, her eyes wide. "Is he very…er, lustful?"

"Oh yeah," said Mika, smirking. "Huge sex drive, and…well, he's a god in bed-"

"That's not what I was trying to say!" protested Star.

"Still playing innocent? Don't tell me you and Sam STILL haven't done it."

"I-I…"

"Have you?" asked Mika.

"Has she what?" asked Nieta, overhearing.

"I'm asking Star if she and Sam have had sex yet," explained Mika with no shame.

"Have you?" asked Nieta with great interest.

"Nieta!" hissed Star, flustered.

"Well, Nieta, have you and Garrett gone at it?"

Nieta became very interested in the town's crystal.

"Wait, Nieta…is that a yes? Come on, you've got to tell me!"

While this, er…interesting conversation was taking place, Garrett and Sam pushed through the crowd until they managed to get close to the princess. Ray noticed her, and waved. She saw him, smiled, and waved back. Mika stomped on his foot.

"Ow! I didn't even do anything!"

"I know," said Mika, laughing evilly. "I'm just taking this time to mark my territory."

"Mark your territory?"

"They'll ask where you're getting all your bruises from."

"Can't you just give me a hickey, like I did when I was-"

"Ray!" hissed Garrett. He jerked his thumb towards the princess, who was calling him.

"Princess!" he shouted, dashing up towards her. The king was there, as well as a bunch of guards. When Fiona came home, her father had immediately asked what had caused her to return. Fiona had said that she talked with someone who made her see sense. When the king asked her who it was, she said it was a Selkie in a scarlet bandanna named Ray. Of course, the king had already known as soon as the word 'bandanna' was said. How ironic.

Ray was casually walking up to her, when he almost stepped into the pointy end of a lance.

"That's Your Majesty to you, lowly Selkie!" said the guard angrily.

"Oh, it's you guys again," muttered Ray. "Are you still pissed about last time? Well, anyways, get that thing out of my face. You could take my eye out, and I don't have any other ones."

With a little wave, he stepped around the guard, who let out a noise of rage. Ray just laughed.

He and the rest of his friends walked up to Princess Fiona, bowing respectively.

"So, Princess, what's the occasion?" asked Ray.

Fiona smiled. "My father insisted that a celebration take place," she explained, embarrassed. "I figured I would invite you and your friends, seeing as you helped me find the strength to come home."

Ray grinned. "Hear that, Creston? It WAS me-"

"I heard," responded Creston shortly.

"So, Ray Zul, as a token of my appreciation, I would like to give you a gift."

Star covered Mika's mouth, which was about to shout out something not fit for children's ears.

"How does 100,000 gil sound?" asked Fiona.

Ray's jaw dropped. So did Mika's. The rest of the caravan stared at her blankly.

One hundred THOUSAND gil? No way…no way…

"We couldn't possibly-," began Sam. Ray pushed him out of the way, and the Clavat fell over coughing.

"Are you sure?" asked Ray.

"Definitely," said the girl firmly. She snapped her fingers, and one of her guards picked up a heavy looking bag. He handed it to Ray.

Ray grinned from ear to ear. "May you live long and prosper."

"I thought you'd like it," she said, smiling. "Now go on, don't let me keep you here…go on out and have fun!"

"Will do!" shouted Garrett, dragging a drooling Ray off. However, Mika wasn't angry- he was drooling at the money, not the princess, which was significantly better.

They eventually forced their way through the large crowd again, and Ray sat down on a bench, still looking at the wonderful bag of gil in his lap.

"Wow, Ray, think of the striped apples," joked Garrett. Ray opened the bag, staring at the contents with joy. Then he started pulling out money.

"Here's some for you," he said, handing it to Sam. "And you," he said, giving some to Star.

And so he continued, giving each of his fellow caravanners some gold.

"Ray, what is this?" asked Lia, confused.

"There. Now we all have 12,500 gil," said Ray, smiling. "It's been split evenly."

"What about me, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Shut up, I'll buy you a snack," promised Ray. Mog smiled and shut up.

"Ray, are you sure about this?" asked Sam. "I mean, she gave it to you. This is YOUR money."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Sam," said Ray, laughing heartily. "Besides, that should make up for all of the money I've stolen from all of you over the years. And some of that is probably going to get swiped, too."

"WHAT?" roared Garrett, as he glared at the chuckling Selkie. "YOU BASTARD- I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ray laughed and ran off, dashing into the crowd. Garrett still stood there, eyes blazing, clenching a fist.

"I hate him."

"No you don't," scolded Nieta gently. Then she brightened. "Well, we have the rest of the day to do as we please, and we've all got money so…"

"Are you going to answer my question now?" asked Mika, her grin almost predatory. Garrett looked between the two females.

"What question?"

"HAVE you two done 'the nasty'?" asked Mika.

"The nasty?" asked Garrett, confused. Nieta tapped him on the shoulder and whispered into his ear. Garrett blushed, horrified.

"What did you tell her?" he hissed. Nieta shook her head vigorously.

"So you HAVE done it!" exclaimed Mika triumphantly. "How was his performance?"

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING THAT?" shouted Garrett. "There's something called PRIVACY, you know!"

"And I don't care! Come on, Nieta, tell me!"

**000**

Creston sat there, eyeing the bag of gil in his hands. "Hmmm…I suppose I could buy a lot of things with this when all of this is over."

He glanced over at the hunched figure of Lianora. "What are you doing?"

"Sending it home," muttered Lianora. "I want my family to have this money if I…if I don't make it back."

Creston stared at her, then put a hand on her shoulder.

"A very noble decision," he murmured quiet. "Of course, I have no need to send my money home."

Lianora flinched. "I'm sorry-"

"Nothing to apologize for," said the other Yuke briskly. "If I make it through this, I plan to use this money wisely."

"What for?" asked Lianora, interested piqued.

"Well…if I survive, I'm hoping to become a doctor," said Creston. "I've been healing up all of you quite nicely, haven't I?"

"That's true…you would make a good doctor," said Lianora, smiling behind her helm. "From the team medic to a doctor…how fitting."

"I can't keep bandaging all of you for the rest of my life, can I?" asked Creston, laughing. "Well, no matter how long or shot the rest of my life is."

Lianora stopped smiling behind her helm. "Aren't you even scared?" she asked softly. Creston looked over at her fondly.

"Of course I am," he said, equally quiet. Around them, people were laughing joyfully and happily, but the two Yukes were in a world of their own.

"I'm not worried about losing myself…it's all of you that worry me…," said Creston, staring down at his feathered hands. "I've lost everything once…I don't wish for that to happen again."

Lianora took his hand, and she felt slightly reassured- his hands were soft and warm.

"We'll make the most of the time we have left," said Creston, pulling her into a warm embrace. Now and then, Lianora STILL couldn't believe that the cold, quiet, distant Yuke became the warm, kindhearted man holding her.

"I love you, Creston," she whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know, Lia. I know."

**000**

Sam and Star were running through the streets of Alfitaria, laughing lightheartedly. It felt good to laugh and have fun. Star knew that neither of them had had fun for a long time. Sam was following her, as she pointed to various shops and other things. They almost knocked over a poor Yuke, and they caught sight of Garrett and Nieta talking to each other quietly. They waved, and Nieta waved back, while Garrett gave them a curt nod.

Sam was laughing, before he stopped. He shut his eyes for a minute. At first, he saw nothing. Then an image appeared in his mind…something large and green.

"_Look for me at the Abyss," _said a deep voice. Sam thought it was Raem, but he didn't feel the sense of dread and evil when he heard the voice, so that meant it COULDN'T be the memory eater. _"I'll be waiting for you."_

"Wait! Who are you?" asked Sam, only to open his eyes and find himself back in the streets of Alfitaria.

"Sam?" asked Star, pushing through people to get to him. She looked at him, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Sam hesitated. Should he tell her? No…he had to think about this…it wasn't Raem, but it could be a trap.

"Nothing," assured Sam, smiling. "I just sprained my ankle while we running, that's all."

"Ouch," said Star, her eyes sympathetic. "Do you want to head back to the caravan?"

"No, let's walk around a bit longer before we head back," insisted Sam. They smiled at each other as they continued their adventures through the city. It was days like this that Sam never wanted to end.

**000**

Eventually, a message was passed on from Creston to the rest of the caravanners. Mog showed up and told them that it was time they should be heading back. Everyone left the city, most reluctantly, before they all reunited by the carriage.

Lia noticed Nieta and Garrett looking annoyed. "What's wrong?"

"Her old teacher showed up again," grunted Garrett. "Annoying woman still wants Nieta to return home."

"She's so stubborn," muttered Nieta. "Why can't she get it through her head that I LIKE being out here?"

Ray and Mika had apparently gone to a buffet, eating all of the food they wanted. Mika also got in a fight when some girl grabbed Ray's butt.

"I knocked out a tooth and gave her a black eye!" she was boasting proudly.

"That's my girl!" said Ray, laughing. Creston sighed.

"Most people would be worried about the state of the girl you destroyed."

"Creston, I'm not most people," said Mika, still giggling.

"I know. I just wish you were sometimes."

"Has that wish come true?"

"It never will."

Sam was looking over their supplies with Mog, while Star was going to look through the back of the carriage for a meal to eat quickly. But as she drew back the curtains, she gasped.

"What is it?" asked Sam, running over. The rest of the caravanners walked and jogged over. They all gaped at what they found.

Lying in the caravan, on top of a lot of storage, was a brilliant looking sword. It was gold and silver, and seemed to radiate an almost holy energy.

"What is this?" asked Sam.

"I know what it is," said Garrett, his eyes astonished. "That's Excalibur…it's a holy sword…and very hard to find."

"Also very hard to make," added Lianora. "As I would know."

"There's a note!" said Nieta, pointing. And sure enough, there was an envelope tied to the hilt of the sword. Creston ripped off the envelope before looking at it. He handed it to Star.

"It's for you," he stated.

"Me?" asked Star, bewildered. Hesitantly, she opened the envelope and pulled out the message.

_Star_

_I noticed that the last time I saw you, your sword was looking a bit old and worn. I figured that this would be a good replacement, for you and your years to come. Excalibur is a sword that never grows dull and never breaks, and it has a holy energy to it. It sort of reminds of you…full of light._

_Hope you like it._

_-A f__**R**__iend_

Star read over the note multiple times. At first, she didn't understand. Who was this friend that gave this to her? But eventually, after reading it a third time, she understood.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"A friend?" asked Ray, as he read over the note. "Sheesh, this thing must've cost a fortune! What kind of friend would get you something this expensive?"

"No idea," said Star. She knew, and from the looks of that note, her friend supposedly didn't want the others to know. Star understood. She would respect their wishes.

"Well…I guess this is good," said Star, looking at her worn old sword. "I've needed a new one for a while."

"Are you sure we can trust it?" asked Mika, eyeing the sword warily.

"I know I can," said Star, nodding.

Star decided to take the first watch. As the rest of her friends slept soundly, she gripped the new sword in her hand.

Some things, she still didn't understand.

**000**

And so we are done with a long awaited chapter!

Favorite Parts: Mika pestering Nieta and Star wins the most humorous moment. But I loved the Yuke scene in this chapter (as well as Creston mocking the townspeople) and the scene at the end where Star gets Excalibur (because everyone else has gotten new weapons recently, why not Star? I couldn't really give anyone Ragnarok…)

This chapter was sort of mixed…there was some doubt and worry, but for the most part it was a happy chapter. I liked it, personally.

So, as for Excalibur. I bet you're all wondering, who the heck gave Star that sword? Well, THAT, my readers, is something I cannot tell you until later…until this story is over. But if you read the letter carefully, and think in your mind, as well as read that section of the story VERY carefully, you may figure it out. Post your ideas and thoughts in your reviews. I'm eager to see who can figure it out.

Well, besides that, I really don't know WHAT to put…so…yeah.

Next Chapter: The gang travels back, going through the Iron Mine Downs, the Plains of Fum, and the Rebena Plains, until they arrive at the final miasma stream. And there, they find something strange…but one caravanner finds it familiar.


	78. Over the Years

And here we are again…time for another chapter. Wow…I bet I'm just causing the tension to rise horribly.

This is basically a point A to point B chapter. The gang is just going to go from wherever they are…to the entrance to the Abyss.

By the way, everyone seems to think that Rex gave Star Excalibur. Once again, I'm not telling. But now I'm going to ask WHY everyone thinks Rex gave Star Excalibur (if it was him). Why would Rex, this story's biggest LIVING asshole, give his sister a nice sword that costs a sizeable some of money, eh? :P

I'll try to keep it interesting, but I'm not so good with these filler chapters…sigh.

Oh well! No use sighing! Let's go!

**000**

The Tipa caravan was on their way to Marr's Pass. They had all of their supplies, but they had to pass through the city to get to the Jegon River. Ray was driving the caravan, casually humming a song played at the festival. Sam had no idea how Ray was still so calm, even though he KNEW what they were going to do. Ray was a strange one.

Creston was arguing with Lianora. They had run into the Shella caravan not so long ago, in which Amidatty was bragging about his model of the world, which was confirmed by Garrett to be a moldy loaf of bannock. Apparently, the mold represented the miasma that was rotting the world. While Sam and Star tried to go along with eccentric Yuke, Creston tried to tell him that he had been duped by a con-artist. Lianora stopped him, leading Creston to be a rather cranky fellow for right now.

"I had every right to tell him, don't you understand that he's doting over a loaf of BREAD?"

"Let him entertain his ideas."

"Oh yes, let's let the other caravan obsess over something completely absurd and let Amidatty live a lie. But at least he'll be happy in that world of lies."

"Creston," said Lianora heavily. "You can be kind and sweet, and I love you more than anything, but sometimes you need to hold your tongue."

Creston blushed in embarrassment behind his helm, trying to ignore a snickering Garrett, and a loud snort of Ray.

Sam glanced at Star. "I wonder why we never argue."

"Because we always agree," said Star. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"True."

Garrett continued to giggle at Creston's troubles, when Nieta lightly smacked his arm. "Cut it out. Do we laugh at you when your flustered?"

Garrett gave her a look that plainly said "Do you want me to answer that?"

"Okay, point taken," admitted Nieta. "But leave him alone. Can we try and enjoy what might be our last times together?"

Silence followed her remark.

"Well, that was a downer," muttered Ray.

"She didn't mean it, kupo," said Mog.

"But she IS right," said Star, looking at her friends. "We may not make it through this…people could…die."

Ray laughed. "I'm not going to die, sheesh!"

Star folded her arms. "I'm being serious!"

"So am I!"

"How can you be so carefree at a time like this?" asked Nieta incredulously.

"Well, some of us Selkies," said Ray, wrapping an arm around a nearby Mika," believe that when you face death, you should have a smile on your face."

"That usually only applies to old age," muttered Creston. "In most other scenarios, a look of terror or pain replaces said smile."

"Still, I think you all should lighten up a little," said Ray. Mika nodded in agreement.

"Instead of fretting about what might happen, we should actually do what Nieta says…enjoy ourselves!" said the female Selkie.

"They raise a good point," said Lianora thoughtfully.

"Well, I believe that if I'm going to face death, I'm going to drag down a couple of baddies with me," announced Garrett.

"Yes, typical Garrett," said Creston. "If I die, I'll be sure to sever some heads as my guts fall out."

"Funny," growled Garrett. "I can't help who I am. I'm a fighter, and I'll always BE a fighter. Got it?"

"Yes, well…what if you retire?" asked Nieta.

"Then I'll at least do something that has to do with fighting…be a blacksmith or something…"

"Are you sure you're not going to become a mill-"

"NO. NOT. IN. THIS. LIFETIME."

"Seriously, it's in your blood," said Mika, yawning.

"Besides, if we destroy miasma, there won't be any reason to fight, thus making it so we don't need blacksmiths," said Star logically.

"Well…if there were still criminals like Rex around…you never know!" protested Garrett.

"Seeing Mr. Stabby become a bread baker would make my life," said Creston, almost wistfully.

"Be careful before Mr. Stabby buries his spear in you!"

"Garrett!" said Sam warningly. "Let's not try and hurt each other, especially when we're on our way to a dangerous place."

"Whatever you say, pacifist," grunted Garrett. Creston waved at him mockingly.

"Well, we're just about at Marr's Pass," said Lianora. "We're just going to pass through and go on, right?"

"Yup," said Sam. "I think it'd be better if we just avoid society…that'll only make it harder."

The other caravanners nodded solemnly. It was bad enough that they may not be able to see their families again. But to watch other families move throughout their everyday lives without worrying about their future.

"Do you think it's worth it?" asked Lianora, after they had gone past the city.

"What's worth it?" asked Star, looking at the smart Yuke.

"What we're doing…do you think it's worth it?"

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Creston, frowning behind his sallet. Lianora seemed troubled.

Lianora fiddled with her fingers. "Well…I don't mean to sound selfish or anything but…is this something we have to do? Couldn't we just keep doing our job instead of taking risks like this?"

Sam thought it over. She had a good point. Their job, while dangerous, was simple; all they had to do was continue to collect myrrh for their village. They didn't have to take unnecessary risks like this.

But was it possible? Could they actually turn back now and forget what they had done?

Sam shook his head.

Creston thought for a moment, before shaking his head as well.

"We've come too far to turn back now," said the wise Yuke, looking at Lia. "And seeing that Raem wants us and our village wiped off the face of the earth, it really seems as if we have no other option."

"Because if we don't, we'd be royally screwed," said Mika, using smaller words.

"Indeed, we'd be screwed," agreed Creston.

"So, I guess we're all stuck with this job," said Ray from up front. "What a pity- I wanted to grow up and be a dentist."

Everyone laughed loudly after that. Sam smiled to himself. It felt good to laugh…it felt as if Sam had done a lot more worrying than laughing and enjoying himself. It truly showed how much he had grown.

Six years…it had been six years ago when they all started out in the caravan. Back then, Sam was only a boy. But now, he was a man. He still remembered when he was the nervous, indecisive leader. He remembered when Star was a shy little girl, but she had blossomed into a beautiful, compassionate woman.

Garrett had been an angry, impulsive fighter, and now, while he hadn't changed much, he had definitely smartened up…as well as developed a soft side (especially when it came to Nieta).

Nieta herself had been a naïve little thing, sort of the baby of the caravan. But she had become an intelligent young woman who no longer ran away from her past. She faced it head on became a smart, strong girl who could frighten some of the most dangerous monsters.

At first, Mog had only been a moogle to him. Almost a pet, an extra person who wasn't really needed. But now, Sam considered him a person and a friend.

Creston had been an intelligent, yet cold member of the caravan. Sam couldn't have blamed after his experiences with his father. But over the years, Creston's icy heart thawed out and he had warmed up to most of the other caravanners (Garrett was iffy). Sam considered him as almost a father figure. He was wise, and he was naturally the person Sam turned to for advice when he needed it. His loyal second in command.

Lianora had also changed. She had been very shy, very docile, and she used to get flustered a lot. Now she was a lot more level headed and smarter. She had come to terms with herself, and she became willing to show off her true self. Lia had overcome her fears, and instead of hiding her unusual abilities to swordfight, she now flaunted it. Sam was proud of her.

If Sam had to pick anyone who had to have changed the most, it would have to be Ray. Sam wouldn't deny it; at first, he hadn't really liked Ray. He had been selfish, mischievous, and rather obnoxious. But as the years went by, Ray became almost a brother to Sam. He could be a little teasing, and still a little bit of a prankster, but he became kinder and always willing to lend a hand when someone needed it.

And lastly, Mika, who had been rather cool and independent. Sam understood her hesitance to trust her new partners, due to the accident her father suffered in, but Mika broke out of her shell and learned to trust. Yes, she became a little more hotheaded in the process, but Sam figured that Garrett must've rubbed off on her. Whether or not that was a good thing, Sam didn't know. But either way, she had grown up.

Sam frowned. They had become such nice people but…what if he was leading them all to their deaths?

**000**

They had crossed the Jegon River long ago. Tristan hadn't really said a word during their crossing. Perhaps he knew that the Tipa caravan was troubled. Sam thanked him, even if he didn't know the Lilty's silence was intentional or not. After Sam paid the man, they left.

They travelled through the Plains of Fum quickly, ignoring the Fields of Fum. Ray and Mika talked about their memories of Selepation Cave and Daemon's Court nostalgically, while Garrett chose to ignore them (apparently, Garrett still felt guilty about what happened to Ray in Selepation Cave).

"Ah, the good old days where we were still young and stupid," said Ray, sighing.

"Well…some things haven't changed that much," muttered Creston sarcastically. Ray didn't hear him.

Garrett had decided to recount his tale of taking down Snair to Nieta.

"And I totally cut him open! And then he tried to get me, I KNOCKED him into the river. Woo! I wonder what happened to him after our fight?"

Mika pulled a face as she remembered the rotting corpse in Conall Curach. "You don't wanna know."

Ray's eye twitched. "I really needed that mental image back in my mind, Mika."

"Shut it."

"I'm so happy we get along better now," said Star. "Remember the fiasco at Daemon's Court?"

"We really were rather dumb back then," admitted Creston.

"I say blame Rex and Selstun," said Nieta, shrugging. "Makes us feel less guilty."

"I second this notion, kupo," said Mog.

They eventually passed through the miasma stream to the Rebena Plains. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was two years ago, but still gave them the creeps. Ray seemed quieter and more somber, as memories of his sister and parents came rushing back. Creston and Lia were both silent, as they gazed out of the distant ruins of Rebena Te Ra. Creston was remembering some dead relatives of his own.

Sam had always wondered how Creston had felt to have killed his own father but…he figured it would be rude to ask. Why bring up painful memories anyway? Sam could never understand what it was like to lose a family member. Despite never meeting his parents, he had never known them or grown close to them…how had Ray felt when he had lost his sister?

Sam let out a heavy sigh. At least Creston and Ray knew their origins. Sam had no idea who he was anyway.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Nieta pointed into the distance.

"Look," she said in awe. Sam looked…there, through the dark fog of the Rebena Plains, was the next miasma stream. Strangely, Sam noted, it was golden in color.

"Gold?" asked Garrett, confused. "Why is it gold?"

"Miasma streams are often the color of the element that is required to unlock them," explained Creston, not sounding sarcastic for once (the shock of a lifetime). "For example, a water miasma stream would be blue, like water. A fire miasma stream would be a reddish color, like fire."

"Meaning that this one is golden," finished Nieta. "Because of the fifth element's holiness, purity, and light in a world of darkness."

"What are you, a poet?" asked Mika, grinning.

Nieta blushed. "I just thought it had a nice sound to it," she said sheepishly.

"Is that how you flirt with Garrett?" asked Lia, giggling.

"We all know that the only poetry Garrett understands is the poetry of stabbing his enemy in the face," said Ray.

"How is that even poetry?" asked Star, frowning.

Creston thought for a moment, then smirked as he began to speak.

"_I stab opponents,  
With my battered, bloody spear  
Because I'm violent."_

Garrett scoffed. "That's not even poetry."

"Yes it is. It's a haiku."

"Come on, it doesn't even rhyme!"

"A poem doesn't have to rhyme, genius."

"It sounds better if it does," growled Garrett stubbornly.

"But still…that was such a dark poem," said Star, shivering. "It wasn't beautiful at all."

Ray grinned. "Fine. My turn!"

"_When you feel naughty  
Filled with lust and desire  
Come into MY room."_

"Ray!" hissed Star, smacking him on the arm, while Garrett, Mog and Mika roared with laughter. "Don't talk about things like that."

"It's a part of nature, Star. And don't you just LOVE nature?"

Star sighed. "That's not what I-"

"Hate to break up these fun times, but it's time for us to go in the miasma stream," said Lianora. Ray hadn't even noticed that they had arrived there.

"You've got the chalice?" asked Creston, glancing at Mog. The little moogle nodded, still giggling at Ray's haiku.

"All right…," said Sam. "I'll go first."

"I'll go," offered Garrett. "Hand me the chalice, Mog. You might get blown around by wind. I'll tell you guys if something god-awful is in there."

"Good luck," whispered Star softly. Garrett nodded.

The moogle passed on the chalice and Garrett stepped into the miasma stream. For a few moments, there was tense silence. Then Garrett reappeared, shaking his head.

"Well?" asked Lianora. "How was it?"

"Bright," reported Garrett. "Like…bright gold…but the power of miasma was…really high…nothing we can't handle, but something crippling all the same."

"But not life threatening?" asked Mika. Garrett shook his head. "Sounds good to me, let's go."

"Okay, we all go in now, okay?" asked Sam. Everyone nodded. "Okay…now!"

They all stepped in, Sam taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He immediately felt the air get thinner and harder to breathe as he opened his eyes. The miasma stream was unlike any other- Garrett hadn't lied when he said it was bright. The whole pathway was bathed in a beautiful golden light, which made the path look rather haunting, but magnificent at the same time.

"It's almost beautiful," whispered Star. Nieta was about to agree, when she let out a gasp.

"Sam, there's something in there!" yelled Nieta. Sam looked around wildly, drawing his sword.

"Where?"

Mika let out an exclamation. "I see it to- it's straight ahead…it's in those golden wind…thingies!"

"Wind thingies?" asked Creston quietly, but he and Sam both looked. Sam felt his eyes widen in awe. Far away, a large green creature stood. It had a white belly and brown horns, but other than that, Sam couldn't make out any details.

"Do you think it's a threat?" asked Garrett, twirling his spear.

"No." It was Star who answered. "I don't think so."

Sam took a step forward, but the creature turned around and began to walk away.

"Don't go!" yelled Sam. The creature looked back at him. Sam heard a deep voice.

"_You have come. Follow me."_

Sam froze. The monster made a beckoning motion with one of its arms before lumbering away, through the other side of the miasma stream.

"We have to follow it!" yelled Sam, setting off at a run.

"Sam, calm down!" shouted Creston. "You have no idea what that thing is. This could be a horrible trick to get us all killed! Haven't we learned not to rush into things like this blindly?"

"I'm not going in blind," said Sam. "I saw that thing in a dream. It told me to come here and find him."

"And what if that's Raem?" asked Creston. "What if that THING is just luring us in so it can make a kill? Hmm?"

"Did it seem malevolent to you?"

"That's not the point!"

"So what do we do?" asked Sam. "Turn back now and go home?"

Creston was silent. Nieta broke the awkward moment.

"I say we follow it…it looked like it wanted us to follow it…and if it tries to kill us, we can handle it."

"Yes…," growled Garrett. "If I so violent, then I'll just have to bloody my spear an awful more."

"I agree," said Mika, nodding. "We should see what that thing is and what it wants."

"Well, because I'm in the minority AGAIN," said Creston, sounding exasperated. "Sure. Why not? Just be prepared…we have no idea what we're up against."

"So, let's go!" declared Star.

They crossed through the miasma stream, being blown by strong winds (Lianora was clutching Mog so he wouldn't be swept away by the gales). Garrett and Nieta were hand in hand, as there shorter height made them less heavy than the other caravanners, so they combined their weight, just to be safe. About five minutes had passed before they reached the other side. They all stood there, next to each other, staring.

"Well…here we go," said Sam. Taking another deep breath, he stepped through to the other side…to the Abyss…

To the unknown.

**000**

And so another section of this story is done. I'm actually going to miss writing this story when it's finally over.

Favorite Parts: I have mixed feelings on this chapter, but the poetry part was pretty fun. Lianora's difficult questions, Sam looking over each of his friends, and Creston and Sam's argument were also good parts in my opinion.

Yet another travelling chapter…I try to make these as entertaining as possible…well, try to anyways.

Anyways, if you would like, leave a comment about WHY you think Rex left Star Excalibur. See my question above, because I don't feel like repeating it! :D

And yes…the thingy in the golden miasma stream…IT HAS BEEN SIGHTED! HURRAH!

Next Chapter: The nine adventurers have finally reached the Abyss, and oddly enough, they find a small city there. But when they arrive in said city, Sam will finally get some answers to his questions.

Every minor character: REVIEW!

Creston: Are these characters even worth mentioning?

Sam: Creston, don't be rude.


	79. Truth

Oh boy, it's another chapter!

Mag Mell time! And time for pretty much the entire plot to come together…and Sam's story gets explained completely, too.

And after that…MOUNT VELLENGE! –LIGHTNING FLASH-

By the way, Stiltzkin does not appear in this chapter, although you can find him here in the game.

And I am terribly sorry for my absence. I've been a bit busy lately…eh, I've taken longer absences. Hopefully you all shall forgive me and not set the Antlion on me.

Antlion: Rargh.

NOT ENOUGH FEELING!

Antlion: RAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

That's better…

…okay, I'll get on with it.

**000**

Garrett let out a groan as he stepped out of the golden miasma stream. "Thank god…it was weird in there…I freakin' hate those miasma streams."

He glanced at Nieta beside him, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were wide. Garrett looked at her, concerned.

"Uh, Nieta? Hello? Anyone there?"

He waved a hand in front of her face. She cuffed him upside the head and pointed.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Look!" breathed Nieta. Garrett followed her eyes, and he let out a noise of surprise.

"WHOA," he said.

He was staring out at the land before him. The Abyss was very rocky. He could see large rocks everywhere. In the distance was what looked like the outlines of a small city. It was rather foggy out, and mist hovered eerily in the air. Despite the fact that no one had been there for years, there was still a path of dirt among the rocky terrain.

"It's a lot less sinister than I expected," said Star.

"What were you expecting?" asked Lianora curiously.

"Ahrimans soaring through the sky, monsters attacking us almost immediately after we entered, thunder and lightning, hellish walls of fire," said Star, shrugging. "But this place looks like the Vale of Alfitaria, except more rocky with less civilization. It doesn't look scary at all…"

"Well, that's because you're focusing on what is has, not what it doesn't have," said Creston.

"Huh?" asked Star. Creston waved his hand.

"Notice anything? There is nothing that's alive here. There are no plants. No trees. No flowing water. Everything is still."

Sam gulped.

"It seems as if we are the only thing here that is truly alive. And THAT'S the terror of this place. The fact that we haven't found anything that's living…and the fact that we have no idea what we're up against."

"It's like the calm before the storm…but this is a creepy calm," said Ray, shivering.

"Well, something's living here," said Mika, pointing to the distant city. "But that's the only place I can see in this fog."

"Do you think that's the place where Raem is, kupo?" asked Mog nervously.

Sam heard a voice in his head.

"_That place is Mag Mell. It is not a place of evil. Come. I have been waiting for your arrival."_

"Who are you?" whispered Sam.

"Sam? What do you think?" asked Lia.

"That's not where Raem is. That's Mag Mell," said Sam. "It's not an evil land."

"Let me guess," said Creston skeptically. "The voices in your head told you so?"

"Yeah…"

"And you say that the voices in your head are actually from that giant green…thing that we saw in the miasma stream."

"Pretty much."

"And you think we should listen to these voices?"

"Yes."

Creston sighed. "Well, they've steered us right so far. Might as well listen to them now."

"So we're going to Mag Mell?" asked Star.

"I guess…we could pick up some information there," said Lianora. "Maybe there's a clue to finding a way to beat Raem."

"That's true," agreed Creston thoughtfully.

"Well, then why don't we go and check the place out?" asked Mika. "We can bring our weapons, just in case."

The caravanners murmured in agreement before they began to walk. Ray pulled Garrett back with him.

"Hey…I've got to ask you something," said Ray quietly.

"What's that?"

Ray closed his eyes and sighed. "Look. I'm not gonna lie. I'm pretty scared of what's going to happen when we get to Raem's lair."

"And?"

"I want you to promise me that if something happens to me, you'll look after Mika," said Ray. "If you live and I die, watch over her."

"You know I would," said Garrett, confused. "Why are you asking me to do it?"

"Because I don't want her to do anything stupid," said Ray, as if it was obvious. "I'll do the same for Nieta if I live, but Mika's hotheaded, while Nieta is bit more level-headed. Her thinking gets clouded sometimes, which is why I'm worried. She might try to do something stupid to avenge myself. THAT'S why I'm asking you to do this; if she tries, you have to stop her."

Garrett nodded in understanding. "Oh…I get it."

"So you're going to make sure that she doesn't try and do something crazy to avenge me?"

Garrett frowned. "And what if I try to do something crazy to avenge you?" he asked sharply.

"I know you won't," said Ray. "Heck, I don't even think I'm going to die. But I like to take precautions."

"Thank god," muttered Garrett. "I thought you were going launch a suicide attack on Raem or something and leave me with a heartbroken Selkie girl."

"Nah…I'm worth more than Raem. If I had to die while I killed him, it wouldn't be fair."

"You probably have a bigger ego than him," said Garrett under his breath.

"What are you two talking about back there?" questioned Mika.

"I'm giving Garrett advice on how to improve his performance," said Ray.

Nieta blushed furiously, while Lianora seemed puzzled.

"What performance?"

"Don't ask," warned Creston out of the corner of his mouth.

"You'd better worry about me killing you, not Raem," hissed Garrett through gritted teeth.

Ray whistled. "Damn, your face is redder than the Orc King. That's pretty intense. Can you make it get more purple than a behemoth?"

"RAY!"

"I remember when he only used to get mad at me…"

"SHUT UP, CRESTON!"

**000**

"Is this the place?" asked Nieta. They were standing just outside the area, but some fog was blocking their vision. They couldn't see inside the village (was it a village? They couldn't tell…).

Creston was about to respond, before Mika elbowed him in the gut.

"We all know what you were going to say," said Mika.

"Really? Then what was I going to say?" demanded Creston.

It was Garrett who answered, making his voice a drawl similar to Creston. "Something along the lines of 'Well, I don't know Nieta, I mean we only followed the pathway that leads directly to Mag Mell. Who knows? Maybe it ISN'T Mag Mell.'"

Creston was flabbergasted. "That's exactly what I was going to say, word for word. How did you-?"

"We've been friends/enemies for years. You pick up on that shit."

"Right…," muttered Creston, annoyed. Ray and Nieta were struggling not to laugh, and even Sam had cracked a grin.

"Well, he got you there, Creston," said Sam, smirking mischievously.

"Ray? I think Sam needs advice on his performance," said Creston lightly.

"Point taken," grumbled Sam.

"Burn," whispered Mog.

"Well, not to break up the chatter," said Star. "But shouldn't we go inside the place, not just stand at the entrance?"

"Best idea I've heard all day," said Ray. "C'mon, guys, let's get in there and see what that big green thing wants."

**000**

Mag Mell certainly was a strange place. It was the only place that they had seen in the Abyss so far that actually had life in it. There was grass growing and everything. There were no buildings, only giant balls of some sort that were surrounded by groves of grass.

"I came here expecting an attack but…there's nothing here," said Creston, examining one of the balls.

"What are the balls here for?" asked Garrett, prodding one with his spear.

"Garrett!" hissed Lia. "They're not just random balls! They're cocoons!"

"Cocoons?" asked Nieta. "How can you tell?"

"Because of the texture…and the fact that I can hear something breathing quietly in there," explained Lia.

"You are correct," said a deep voice. The eight caravanners whirled around to see the green monster from before. Now that they were closer, Sam could make out some more details. It had a green upper body, but its lower body was white. All of its back was green with some yellow on it. Its arms were long and lanky, and it had long horns that came together, holding what looked like a red gem. Its face was brown, and its eyes were a strange orange color.

"We saw you in the miasma stream!" said Nieta.

"Indeed. I chose to reveal myself to you all. While most of us choose to ignore the tribes, I must speak with you."

"Most of you?" asked Mika. "There are more of you?"

"Yes, but they are asleep in the cocoons. I myself was at rest, but then I was awoken by her."

"Who?" asked Nieta.

"All will be revealed," insisted the monster.

"Well, I'll be the first to ask then," said Creston. "Who or what are you, and are you an enemy?"

"A wise question to ask," murmured the beast. "I am a carbuncle, a race that was once great, but has gradually diminished over time. As for if I am a friend or an enemy, I am on your side. We all wish for the downfall of miasma, do we not?"

He stared at Sam. "It has been a long time, Sam. You've grown up."

"How do you know me?" asked Sam.

"Well…I see that you do not remember me," said the carbuncle. "Try thinking back into that dream that you used to have."

Sam struggled to bring the hazy dream back into his mind, but when he did, he remembered almost instantly. He snapped his eyes back open.

"You were there! With my parents!" gasped Sam, pointing at him.

"Indeed I was. That was a long time ago. Back then, you were only a child. I'm surprised you still remember. Well, not really, but…still."

"What…what happened to my parents?" asked Sam, looking at the carbuncle. The carbuncle's eyes gleamed.

"Ah…so it is true. You do not remember what happened to them. Mio was right…you didn't get all of their memories."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sam. "What do you know about me?"

"As I said, all will be revealed in time," said the carbuncle, pacing. "Do you not wish to hear of your origins?"

"Fine…you win," said Sam. "Just tell me what happened." The carbuncle nodded.

"Your parents came a long time ago, Sam…many, many years ago. They were good people. At the time, I was not interested in the tribes at all. They bored me…their short life spans, their puny bodies. When they first arrived, they were still young. They had only recently gotten together. There were others with them, but it was your parents who caught my eye. Jack and Jill."

"Those were there names?" whispered Sam. Star was holding his hand tightly.

"Yes. Anyways, it was them who interrupted my slumber. They woke me and tried to engage me in conversation. I basically ignored them. But after that, they returned every year, asking me to speak with them. I gradually became more friendly with them, and soon, they would stay in this village for a few days. This village does not have a crystal, but it is protected by the goddess, Lady Mio. Miasma cannot touch this sacred place."

"What did you talk about?" asked Sam, curious.

"Well…they would discuss how they found this place, and their adventures. They found the fifth element, like the caravan before them. I would tell them about the times of old, when the Great Crystal was shattered by a meteor."

"The Great Crystal?" asked Creston. "Isn't that a myth?"

"Of course not. The Great Crystal was once at the center of Mount Vellenge. But when the meteor struck, it was shattered. The shards fell into your villages, which is lucky, as now you are able to survive in miasma. Some of the crystals dropped dew as they fell…the dew fell into many locations, which led to the growth of the myrrh trees you now seek."

"Now it all makes sense," murmured Lianora to Creston. He nodded.

"So then?" prompted Ray.

"Well, the Tipa caravan and myself became good friends. Eventually, Jill became pregnant…they wound up having the baby here. Jill didn't realize she was pregnant until after they were on the road again. They had been in the Rebena Plains when they found out. They decided to come here. They thought it was safe. And soon, you were born. I remembered looking down at you as your smiling mother held you close."

"But something happened…"

"What?" asked Sam. The carbuncle heaved a great sigh.

"Miasma is not allowed to touch this place, but that does not mean monsters cannot break into the village. Of course, Raem had to break the barrier surrounding this place first. After he had done so, the monsters broke in. I had been asleep in my cocoon at the time. Nothing can penetrate the cocoons, so I was safe."

"I found it all out later. Raem had been angry. This was the second Tipa caravan to find out the location of the Abyss, as well as the meteorite that had caused miasma. He was afraid that they would be able to stop him. That was a logical fear- your parents were powerful warriors. He and his monsters attacked. Your father tried to hold them off while your mother hid you in a grove of grass. But when they both tried to fight, they were slaughtered. Raem killed the other members of the caravanners, except for three. One of those three took you home. He was a Clavat named Ralph."

"That's my…my foster father!" said Sam. "I never knew he was in the caravan."

"That's because Raem erased the memories of the survivors. All they knew was that they wanted to return home. And so they did. I've never seen a caravan here again. Until now. But it didn't matter back then. Raem won."

"Or so he thought…"

"What do you mean?" asked Creston.

"Mio was angry, and she decided to play as dirty as him. When your parents died…she passed on their memories. She passed them on into you, Sam."

"Mio…was that that glowing light in my dream?" asked Sam, trying to take this all in.

"Most likely," said the carbuncle, shrugging.

"What did she pass onto me?" asked Sam.

"The knowledge on how to find the fifth element…and she managed to pass on that dream of Mag Mell and your parents to you. She wanted to pass on a memory of myself so I could help you, but Raem and Mio had both returned to their world before she could."

"What is there world? Mount Vellenge?" asked Creston. "Where is that?"

"It is up ahead. It is hard to see in the mist, but when you get there, you will know. It is unmistakable. An aura of miasma and malice surrounds it."

"But wait," said Sam, frowning. "If Mio passed on the memories, then…she knew I'd come here and try to stop Raem all along? This was always my destiny?"

"Not just you. The next Tipa caravan in general. But yes, it was always going to be you," said the carbuncle, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Sam…," whispered Star, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I was never destined to just have a normal life," he said softly. "It was always meant to be this way."

"Yes," said the carbuncle.

"Cheer up," said Ray. "It could be worse. You could've had to do it all alone. But instead, you got us to help you!"

Star gave him a warning look, but Sam chuckled.

"That's true…it would have been a lot harder if I wasn't allowed to make any friends to help me do this," the Clavat said. He turned towards the carbuncle again.

"So, now…what do I do?" asked Sam.

"Well…you can go to Mount Vellenge and destroy the parasite within the meteor. There is a chance that you may not even have to fight Raem. If you manage to destroy the cause of the miasma, Raem will fall as well. But be warned, the strongest monsters guard the meteorite. It'll take a lot of power and skill to get to the center."

"What do you think we are, newbies?" asked Mika, rolling her eyes.

The carbuncle almost smiled. "Not at all. But I'm just worried. Mount Vellenge is a frightening place. Many caravans have met their doom there."

Creston swore his eyes flashed onto him for a moment, but it was so quick, the Yuke couldn't be sure.

"The miasma is very strong, but when people visit Mag Mell, they receive an increased tolerance to miasma. I refer to the effect as 'Mio's Blessing.'"

"So we're not going to be destroyed by the high level of miasma?" asked Garrett. The carbuncle shook his head.

"You will be safe from that, so long as you don't stay outside the crystal's barrier for long. However, even if you step out of the chalice's barrier, I can sense that some of you will still not be damaged."

He looked at Ray. "You…I'm guess you could survive in the miasma for days on end without having to cure yourself from it."

"Sweet," said Ray, grinning.

"It'll still be difficult, though," said the carbuncle. The caravanners nodded solemnly.

"But I believe in you…and I know you can do this…," said the carbuncle. "Believe in yourselves as much as I do."

"We will…thank you for telling me what happened," said Sam, bowing to the carbuncle. "And, if we don't return…would you be able to return our chalice to the village?"

"I could try," assured the carbuncle.

"Thanks…well, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully, we'll be able to see you again," said Sam. He turned and walked away. The other caravanner said their goodbyes as well and followed him out of Mag Mell.

"Mio…are you watching them?" asked the carbuncle as they left. "Protect them…they are risking everything for you…you cannot let them down. And Jack…Jill…you son has become a very fine man. I wonder, are you watching him?"

**000**

"Well, he wasn't lying when he said we couldn't miss it," said Creston lightly, despite the tension in the air.

It was enormous, and Creston could see snow falling lightly from the sky. But what was unmistakable was the aura that the carbuncle mentioned. Creston could sense it, and it was sickeningly evil.

"Well, we're here, should we just go in?" asked Garrett, frowning.

"Hold on," said Sam. "Before we go, I'd like to say something."

((Author's Note: This is going to be very similar to Selstun's speech in The Rise of Selstun, and it is meant to be…so yeah, just FYI))

Sam took a deep breath. His friends all had their eyes on him. "We've been working with each other for over five years now. And over that time, we've gone through a lot together. We've fought deadly battles, we've found out shocking truths, and we've delved into ancient secrets. But through it all, we've made it through."

He closed his eyes. "This is our final test. Everything we've done has led up to this. This is the hardest thing that we'll ever have to do. But I'm confident that we can pull it off."

"However…if there's a chance that…." Sam paused and gulped. "If there's a chance that one of us doesn't make it…I'd just like to say…you guys are the greatest caravanners I could've ever worked with. Tipa is lucky that they have eight good people to help them."

"Sam, don't forget yourself," added Mog. "There are nine members of this caravan, kupo."

Sam smiled. "Well, I guess I'm not bad either. Anyways…over time…you guys became more than just my friends…you guys are like my family now…I just wanted you to know that before we went."

There was a general murmuring after this. Sam's smile became more determined.

"Are we all ready to go?" he asked.

"We're ready when you are, Sam," said Garrett, flashing a grin. Sam nodded to him before turning around.

"Let's go," he said.

"Right!" said the others.

**000**

AND SO THE FINAL CONQUEST BEGINS! BWAHAHAHA!

Favorite Parts: Sam's Story…obviously…and the speech at the end. It really shows how important Sam's friends are to him.

Anyways, there might be some foreshadowing in this chapter, if you look closely…muahahaha!

And so Sam's story has been revealed. I honestly think that most people could've figured it out, except for Lady Mio passing on Jack and Jill's memories to Sam. That was a little improvising on my part, but…heck, it sounds possible.

Yes, Jack and Jill's name comes from the old nursery rhyme. Lots of the names in this story have meanings, like I said in older author's notes…I think.

On a humorous note, I almost named the carbuncle Bob…then I remembered that this wasn't a parody/humor story. :D;;

Next Chapter: The Tipa caravan has started to climb Mount Vellenge. At last, they are about to find their destinies…and by finding their fates, they will influence the fate of the world.

Carbuncle: Please review. And thank you for all of the support you have given the author.


	80. The Final Frontier

It is now time, for MOUNT VELLENGE!

I guess this is it. The final dungeon…

This chapter is going to be long, but I'm splitting this dungeon into two parts, so this'll only be the first part. I guess I'm pretty much done with humor now. This makes me sad, because now I have to be super serious.

By the way, at certain parts, I may exaggerate the amount of monsters in the level…because of…things.

And by the way, while I don't have a title yet, I'm going to finish writing the first part of Rex's story soon, but I need to finish this fanfiction first.

Alright then, I won't keep you waiting. Here we go!

**000**

"Typical," said Creston. "It's not a place I'd come on vacation."

Sam rolled his eyes at the joke, but he agreed silently. Mount Vellenge appeared to vast…enormous. The terrain was rocky…and in the distance, he could see what looked like the giant meteor that had struck the world so long ago. Also, Ray and Mika reported to see some monsters far off in the mountain with their keen vision (well, Mika more so than Ray).

"Well, let's not sit back and look at the scenery," said Garrett, his voice gruff and determined. "We should just try and get this over with as fast as possible."

"Right," said Star, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

And so it began. The final journey into a dungeon that the caravan would make…one way or the other.

Almost immediately, two chimeras ran out at them, their glowing eyes staring at the caravanners hungrily.

"Get back!" yelled Sam. Garrett, who had been rushing at the first chimera, rolled away in time to avoid a sneak attack from the second.

"These monsters are guarding the location of the meteor," said Lianora. "They're going to be a lot stronger and cleverer than any other monster we've faced so far."

"Strong, smart, it doesn't matter to me," growled Garrett. "I'll crush anything that's in my way!"

With those words, he leaped forward and slashed the chimera with his spear angrily. It staggered backwards, but swung its tail in retaliation. Garrett moved backwards, but he was still struck a light blow. The tails of these chimeras were slightly longer…probably to make them more formidable.

Star and Ray were working on the second chimera, with Lianora supporting them with some magic spells. Star managed to slice off the chimera's tail, but it let out a jet of flame that Star had to jump to avoid. When the chimera got ready to take another deep breath, it was suddenly crushed by a large meteor. Star let out a gasp, and looked around, trying to see if a new enemy had shown up.

Ray stood admiring his Dreamcatcher. "Wow…this weapon kicks ASS! Ray Zul, you have scored big- ow!"

"What's wrong?" asked Lianora, giving Ray a look of concern.

"It hurts me when I use it," said Ray, shaking his head. "Nothing serious, but…still hurts."

"It must be the powerful magical properties," theorized Creston, examining the racket curiously. "There's probably some backlash from the magical effects that hurts you as well as your opponent."

"I've noticed that with my Longinus spear, too," said Garrett, shoving his spear into the other chimera's throat.

"Does Ragnarok have the same effect?" asked Sam curiously. "I noticed Rex wincing in our battle, but I thought they were just his injuries."

"Well, as fun as this is, shouldn't we study our weapons AFTER we get this over with?" asked Mika, putting her hands on her hips.

Garrett scoffed, but he started walking. "Honestly? These things are pushovers. Sure, they're a bit stronger, but a good ol' spear in the head changes that."

"Don't let overconfidence get to you," warned Sam. "This is only the beginning."

They continued to move through the mountain, but when they arrived in a clearing, they were met with a surprise. Strange enemies were floating in the air. There were three in total. They were all hooded with glowing, yellow eyes, and they were transparent, meaning they were undead. They each held a different weapon: one held a sword, another held a mace, and the final one held a spear.

"What the heck are those?" asked Nieta nervously.

"Shades," said Creston quietly.

"Which are?" asked Star, watching the three monsters carefully.

"They are spirits that are possessed by a malevolent force upon death…in a way, they are cursed. Some say that they are the ghosts of evil people. Good people become angels and go to heaven, while it is said that shades are the evil people who are forced to roam the earth neither alive or dead."

"Well, how do you kill it?" asked Ray, hanging back so the shades couldn't attack him.

"A holy spell will make them solid, just like any other spectral enemy," said Lianora firmly. "Creston."

"I'm on it," confirmed Creston, preparing a holy spell.

As if they were waiting, the three shades rushed forward at a surprisingly swift speed.

"Whoa!" shouted Garrett, blue eyes widening.

"Don't stand still!" said Sam. "Defend Creston!"

"Easier said than done!" said Ray, getting his stomach cut by the sword-wielding shade.

Creston threw his arm out. "I'm ready!"

A white light emerged from Creston's hand. The shades clutched their heads as the spell hurt them. As the light cleared, their forms were opaque.

Nieta, Lianora, and Sam rushed forward, driving each shade back. The shades fought back furiously, with Nieta almost getting her head bashed in by the axe wielder, and Lianora sustaining a bad blow from the swordsman. Sam managed to cut the spearman clean in two, while Nieta had killed her shade after a few hits. The remaining shade turned spectral once more before Lia could finish it off. But instead of attacking, it floated off.

"Come back here, coward!" shouted Garrett, making to chase after it.

"No!" cried Creston, grabbing Garrett. "It could be a trap."

"Or it could be warning the other monsters of our presence," said Mika darkly.

"Well, either way, we can't do anything about it," said Lia. "No offense, but I doubt even the Selkies could catch that thing. It's way too fast."

Mika opened her mouth indignantly, but Ray gave her a look.

"She's right."

"There's no way to get through," said Star, pointing. "There's a huge boulder here."

"Then we'll double back," said Sam. "I saw a second path."

The caravanners turn around and went back the way they came, finding another path. They walked down it, past another boulder, until they found another monster they hadn't met before.

It looked like it was simply a brown ball held in a claw, levitating in the air.

"Is that a monster?" Star asked Creston.

"I…don't know," confessed Creston.

"It isn't even moving," said Mika, eyeing the floating sphere suspiciously. "Looks pretty eerie, though…do you think it's a friend or a foe?"

"You expect to find a friend in this place?" asked Creston scathingly.

"We did find the Carbuncle," pointed out Sam to Creston.

Nieta took a step closer to investigate the thing, when it started to move, the sphere and the claw spinning together. A poisonous blast exploded on Nieta.

"AGH!"

"That answers our question!" shouted Ray, hitting the thing with a meteor. But the sphere did not die. It continued to fire magical spells. The next spell it fired was golden. A stop spell. Lianora dashed away to avoid it.

"Is thing invincible or something?" asked Star, slicing at it furiously.

"Try a Gravity spell!" suggested Creston, clearing Nieta of the poison.

Sam and Star nodded and through working together, hit the sphere with a gravity spell. It plummeted to the ground, helpless. After a few more hits, it faded into miasma.

"That was…interesting," said Nieta, panting loudly.

"What a strange creature," said Creston quietly.

"Indeed," said a harsh voice from behind them. They all whirled around to see what looked like a knight in gold and black armor. He held a sword that looked similar to Ragnarok in one hand, and what looked somewhat like an axe in the other.

"They are known simply as spheres," said the knight, eyeing the caravanners curiously. "They are somewhat like our guards…they alert every monster to your exact location when you fight them, or destroy them. That is how I knew you were here."

"What are you?" asked Sam.

"I am a Death Knight," said the creature. "We are the most elite guards of the meteor's resting place. It has been quite some time since we've last had visitors. Such a shame that we kill anyone who sets foot onto this land."

The Death Knight brandished his weapons and sent a ball of energy rushing at the caravanners. They all quickly moved so they would avoid the attack. The ball exploded behind them.

"Such power," breathed Lianora.

"You are in the most miasma drenched part of the world!" shouted the Death Knight. "Prepare yourselves to meet your doom!"

"Not quite!" yelled Mika, firing some rapid fire shots at the monster. The Death Knight shielded himself easily.

"Foolish girl. It'll take more than a mere pellet to destroy me," said the Death Knight.

Without warning, a giant meteor crashed down on him.

"Well, that's bigger than your average pellet," said Ray, shrugging.

"That was too easy," grunted Garrett, almost sounding sad. "I expected more action."

"Then your expectations are correct," said a voice, as the dust from the meteor cleared. Ray was shocked to see that the Death Knight was still standing.

"A truly terrifying attack," said the Death Knight, shaking his head. "I never expected to see the Dreamcatcher with you. I take it you have raided Conall Curach?"

"We destroyed the Dragon Zombie," said Mika.

"Destroyed? What nonsense," said the knight with a snort. "You eight aren't even that powerful."

"It only took two of us to kill that dragon," pointed out Ray.

"Well then, prove your strength to me!" shouted the knight, leaping for Star with his blades swinging. Star tried to avoid the attack, but her arm received a cut. She angrily sliced at the knight, but the dark creature parried the blow and knocked her off her feet. An angry Sam bashed him in the back of the head with his sword, causing the knight to whirl around.

Garrett took over from then. Ducking under a swing from the axe, Garrett plunged his spear into the Death Knight's stomach.

The monster let out a groan. "That spear…Longinus…it's been a long time…since one of us has been destroyed…by mere…mortals…warn…the others."

He began to topple over. Garrett hastily moved out of the way as the dead monster hit the ground.

"Wow…," said Star, rubbing her wounded arm.

"And we were only fighting one," said Sam, gulping.

"Well, we're at another dead end," said Lia. "Now where should we go."

Garrett frowned. "That can't be right…we've heard that people have gotten here before."

"Well, where do you think we should go?" asked Creston sarcastically.

Garrett looked around, and then he started to walk back the way he came. He looked at the rock they had passed earlier.

"Am I the only who noticed that this rock's color is gray, not brown like the other stone we've found?" asked Garrett, jabbing it with his spear.

Lia looked. "You're right…I never noticed that."

"How could HE have found that?" asked Creston under his breath.

"I may not have a super advanced brain," said Garrett. "But I notice simple things, like color differences and appearances. I made a mental note that this rock was a different color…and I also noticed that there were more than one of these rocks. Star found one when we fought the shades."

"So you've found a rock," said Ray. "What's your point?"

"Maybe we can break it."

"Garrett, as much of a powerhouse as you are," said Sam. "I think we should be realistic. We're talking about SOLID STONE."

"If we can destroy the Golem and the Iron Giant, we can destroy a boulder," said Garrett determinedly. He began to hack and stab the rock.

"Well, he's gone mad," said Creston, shaking his head. "Shall we leave him behind?"

"Creston," said Sam angrily.

"GRRRRRR!" growled Garrett, slashing the rock again. This time, when he hit it, the rock burst into pieces.

Garrett gave Creston a smug look. "Oh, would you look at that?"

"Bite me," hissed Creston.

They marched deeper into Mount Vellenge, but then they were attacked by a sphere in the shadows. Most of the caravanners were stopped, while Creston was badly poisoned. Ray and Lia, who avoided both attacks, easily took care of the sphere. Lia knelt beside Creston, looking at him closely.

"This is bad," she murmured. "These bio spells are very destructive. But a good clear spell should take care of this…"

She cleared Creston, who coughed out a thank you.

They came across another boulder, which Garrett shattered easily after a few hits. They walked into a dark clearing.

"On your guard guys," whispered Sam. Garrett made to answer, when he saw something floating above Sam.

"Sam, get back!"

Sam looked up as the spear struck him. He fell over, letting out a cry of shock. As Creston made to help him, a shade floated out of nowhere and struck Creston's back, knocking the Yuke over. A chimera also appeared, running towards Creston. Lia hopped in the way and sliced up the chimera's face. Ray and Mika both kept the shade at bay, while Star and Nieta worked together to destroy the sphere.

The chimera knocked Lia back and charged for the fallen Creston, who was getting up. Quickly, Creston hit it with a blizzard attack, freezing it in place. Lianora got up to attack the monster. The shade, meanwhile, started to prepare a curse spell, aiming for Creston.

"Creston, move!" called out Ray. Creston looked at the shade and rolled just in the nick of time.

"Why the heck are they going for you?" snarled Nieta, severing the angry chimera's head.

"I don't know," asked Creston. "Let me cast a holy spell on that shade-"

Realization hit him.

"They've figured out that I'm the only one here that can cast a holy spell," said Creston. "They're trying to kill me so you won't be able to fight the shades."

He blasted the shade backwards with the spell, and then the monster began to fight Mika, its mace clashing with her racket. Mika dodged and bashed it on the head. The shade angrily hit her shoulder in retaliation. Mika fell over, while Ray slammed the shade into the ground, killing it.

"Smart…," said Sam. "They've already figured out that Creston is the most important member of our team right now."

They passed another boulder, destroying another shade along the way, this one wielding an axe. While Ray suffered a bad wound to the shoulder, he assured them we was okay. They continued to head deeper into the mountain, when they came across a Death Knight waiting for them in another clearing of the mountain.

"Greetings," he said, staring at them. "So you have found Mount Vellenge. Very impressive…and even more impressive that you've gotten this far. But now, I will end you!"

A shade floated in to join him. Sam let out a cry, and his friends dashed in behind him, Creston immediately hitting a shade with a holy spell.

"So that's the mage!" said the Death Knight, swinging his sword at Creston. Creston blocked the attack with his staff, with Nieta jumping to cut out the Death Knight. The knight responded by swinging his axe at Nieta, knocking her backwards into a wall.

Creston wasn't moving. The knight raised his sword, but Sam tackled him, shouldering him aside. Of course, with the metal armor, Sam was probably hurt more than the knight. Nevertheless, the knight staggered backwards, where Lianora and Garrett took over. Sam examined Creston.

"Creston? Are you okay?"

"Sam, I'm on the ground," said Creston sarcastically. "And I can't move."

He sounded like he was speaking with closed lips.

"You were hit by a stop spell!" said Sam. He looked around wildly before finding a sphere floating ominously, charging up a bio spell. Sam didn't avoid it in time. With a loud gasp, he fell to the ground, choking.

"Sam!" said Star, charging up a basic clear spell. It hit both Sam and Creston at the same time, while Mika took care of the offending spear. Lianora and Garrett had already double teamed the Death Knight, which was lying on the ground motionless, and Ray jumped up and smashed the sphere into the ground.

"How are we all feeling?" asked Lia, panting.

"Slightly worse for wear," said Ray cheerfully. "But if I wanted life served to me on a silver platter, I wouldn't have picked this job."

Sam gave him a stern look. "We don't have time for your jokes, Ray."

"Sheesh…fine, I get it. This is serious."

They moved quickly through the mountain, taking out the occasional shade or fear. Eventually, they found a split in the paths. One led further into the mountain, while the other led to another crater, where they saw a Death Knight in the distance.

"Let's not waste our time," said Nieta. Garrett looked disappointed, but followed the others down into the mountain, soon the ground was getting covered in…snow?

"This is completely illogical," said Creston, as they stepped into a huge cavern. "How can the terrain just suddenly become snow and ice?"

"The illogical stuff we find out here could fill several books, Creston," said Mika, scoffing.

They heard a stomp behind them. A Death Knight was walking up to them, eyes glinted behind his helm.

"I knew it…I knew you would try to avoid battling me," said the Death Knight, laughing coldly. "So easy to predict…fools."

"So…what's your point?" asked Garrett hotly.

"The point is, I lured you here," said the knight. He snapped his fingers.

Shades appeared out of thin air, while others floated into the cavern from different exits. Spheres began to float in, while chimeras and more Death Knights appeared into the room. Sam's blood ran cold. It was an ambush.

The original knight laughed again. "You've been scampering all across this mountain. But now you've been trapped like rats."

He raised a hand. "Kill them."

The monsters surged forward like a wave, while the caravanners prepared for their toughest fight yet. Sam immediately found himself battling the first Death Knight. Garrett, Lia, and Creston were all fighting side by side, the former guarding Creston from the many monsters trying to annihilate him. Star was fighting two shades, while Mika and Ray were surrounded by spheres. Nieta stood facing a Death Knight.

Sam lunged forward, but the knight dodged, swinging his axe towards Sam. Sam parried the blow and struck the knight's shoulder.

"Not bad," grunted the monster. "But even if you slay me, all of you will die as well. There is no escape."

"Then I'll just have to make one!" shouted Sam, lashing out and slicing the monsters helmet. With a cry of pain, it staggered backwards, falling on top of a chimera. Sam leaped into the air and stabbed the monster in the chest. He dropped his weapons and died.

Lia and Garrett were fighting furiously, guarding Creston who was using many holy spells to solidify the shades. Garrett and Lia had to work together to take out the shades that Creston made opaque- the Yuke couldn't keep casting holy spells forever. But they were lucky, as Mika made her way over and helped thin out their enemy ranks.

Ray, meanwhile, was using Dreamcatcher to take down chimeras and Death Knights alike. He couldn't fight the shades, as Creston was too far away to make Ray's opponents solid, but Ray easily evaded there attacks. He grinned as three chimeras were all knocked back by one of his meteors. Then he let out a gasp of pain as he was hit from behind by a Death Knight.

"Ha…," said the Death Knight, looking at him in amusement. "Fool…we are not saints. Monsters fight dirty."

"Oh yeah?" asked Ray. He made a motion with his finger, and from behind, Mog whacked the Death Knight with the chalice.

"Compared to us Selkies, you guys are saints," said Ray, launching himself at the knight.

Sam and Star were back to back, holding off two Death Knights.

"I never expected this to be so difficult!" said Star.

"It truly is the hardest dungeon yet!" shouted Sam, slicing off an arm of his Death Knight.

"We can do this!" said Star, smiling, her eyes shining with determination. And as much as Sam wanted to stare at her face forever, they were in the middle of a battle. But still…just in case…

Sam had been thinking for a while now, and he had bounced the idea off Creston, Garrett, and Ray…of course, all of their responses were different.

"Go for it. If you can stop sucking face long enough."

"She's all over you, man. And you fought Rex for her. That takes balls. She'll totally say yes."

"I don't know Sam, shouldn't you sleep with her first, THEN ask? Heh heh…"

Sam rolled his eyes, remembering Ray's answer, as his blade slammed against the knight's. But who knew? It could be now or never.

"Star, are you there?" he asked loudly, slicing at the knight's stomach.

"Yes, Sam, I'm here!" she replied, bashing her knight with a shield.

"Star…I've been thinking for a long time, and well…if we get through this, will you marry me?" asked Sam, stabbing his knight in the skull.

Star let out a gasp of shock as she slit her knight's throat. She fought back tears of happiness. Now wasn't the time.

"Yes, Sam, of course!"

"Great!" said Sam, grinning. "Duck!"

A jet of fire passed over them, singing some of Star's hair. A chimera loomed closer. As Sam and Star stood up to fight, she was knocked back by its tail. Star slid backwards, and Sam lost her in the chaos of the battle.

"We're losing," he muttered, getting a brief glimpse of Mika being whacked by a mace. "We need to get out of here…this is a battle we can't win, like in Daemon's Court."

"Guys, can you here me?" he called, his voice echoing across the battlefield. Almost instantly, Ray and Mog were beside him.

"What's up?" asked Ray casually, kicking a chimera that was running up to him.

"We need to get out of here. We can't survive this. We'll get destroyed, like we almost did in Daemon's Court."

Ray nodded. "I hear ya. Mog, tell the others."

"I'm on it, kupo!"

Mog disappeared briefly, before Creston emerged, leading the others to Sam and Ray. They all fanned out in a large circle, holding the monsters back.

"Where are we supposed to go?" asked Creston, smacking a shade into a sphere. Mika looked around before pointing, while Lia healed everyone.

"There!" she cried, pointing towards a path that led deeper into the mountain.

Sam judged the distance. They couldn't make it if they kept fighting. They'd have to make a break for it.

"We'll have to run," said Sam. "Are you all ready to run like you've never run before?"

"Beats being sliced into pieces," muttered Garrett, stabbing a sphere violently.

"Then run! NOW!" yelled Sam. The caravanners sliced their way through a crowd of monsters before dashing down the path. Sam was in the lead, with Star behind him. Creston was being guarded by Mika and Lia, while Nieta was behind him. Garrett and Ray took the rear guard. Garrett looked back.

"Sam, we're in trouble!" he yelled, seeing the Death Knights and shades grow closer. Soon, the shades began throwing their weapons at them, as well as cast magic. The chimeras were sending blasts at them. Nieta winced as the flames licked her arm.

"We might not make it!" she cried out to Sam.

"Keep running!" growled Sam, gritting his teeth.

Ray frowned, still glancing back at the monsters, before flashing his eyes to Garrett. "Oy, short stuff."

"Is this really the time for nicknames?" asked Garrett angrily.

"Whatever. Remember that little talk we had before we reached Mag Mell?" asked Ray, smirking.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Ray grinned. "Sorry dude."

With those words, he stopped, turned around, and ran back.

"What the…RAY!" yelled Garrett.

Sam stopped and looked back, and was horrified to see Ray running back.

"I know he can't find his way around, and he's half blind, but this is ridiculous," said Sam. "RAY! COME BACK THIS WAY!"

"Sam, shut up and keep running!"

Sam made to go back, but Star, surprisingly, stopped him.

"Let him go, Sam," she said sadly. "He's going back for us."

"No…," whispered Nieta.

"Ray?" whispered Mika, looking back, horrified. "RAY! NO!"

She turned around and ran back as well. Garrett whirled around to chase her down.

"I'll be coming back," he assured Nieta.

Creston looked at Lianora. "He can't do this alone. Garrett and Mika are going to come back, but I know Ray won't. He's stubborn."

"So?" asked Lia. "I'm trying to ignore the fact that he's going back. What's your point?"

"I'm going back to help him. He can't cast holy spells. He'll need me."

"No, Creston," said Lia, her voice hushed. "We need you! I need you!"

"Look, Lia!" he snapped. "I've been teaching you ever since we became a couple how to case holy spells. You can do it. You just need to believe in yourself. You and the others will get through this."

"And what about you?" asked Lia, staring at him as if she could see through his helm. "What about you?"

"I'll do my best," vowed Creston.

Meanwhile, Mika had caught up to Ray and grabbed onto him. "RAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Damn, you're quick," he muttered. He turned to face her, the monsters steadily growing closer. "Just go, okay? You guys need to get to the meteor. I play a good decoy."

"You can't do this to me," breathed Mika. She grabbed him by his shirt and shook him. "YOU CAN'T FUCKING DO THIS TO ME! NOT AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!"

"Calm down, damn it!" he hissed.

"I won't let you go, I won't let you go!" she kept saying. Ray growled before pulling in to kiss her. Despite the fact that most of their kisses were lustful or passionate, this was calm, loving, and caring. He pulled away, smiling cleverly. Mika stared. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Wish me luck," he said softly, looking away before the tears that were threatening to fall showed up.

Mika continued to stare before Garrett grabbed her. "Mika, come on!"

Sam and the others had slowed down to allow Mika and Garrett to catch up.

"Good, you're back. So with Mog, we still have eight…," said Sam, before trailing off. Then he let out a shocked exclamation.

"Where's Creston?" he asked Lia. The female Yuke looked at him, radiating misery.

"He's gone, Sam," she said quietly.

"Gone?" asked Sam in disbelief. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I…couldn't stop him," she whispered.

**000**

Back where Ray had been, he was taking on the monsters, striking a Death Knight with a meteor. A shade appeared floating above him, sword glinting. Ray grimaced.

"Damn…I thought I'd hold them off a little bit longer," he grumbled. But he let out a shocked exclamation as the shade was knocked backwards. Ray quickly whirled around to see Creston striding towards him.

"I thought you could use a hand," said the Yuke.

Ray laughed. "Well, at least our families won't miss us."

Creston smiled grimly behind his helm, before feeling a jolt of pain. "Ow…I guess I'm not completely immune to the effects of miasma. I forgot I was outside the chalice."

"None of us are immune," said Ray, facing the remaining monsters. He grinned. "How many cure spells do you have left in you."

Creston chuckled. "A fair few. And yourself."

"Well, I've got a couple of plans," said Ray, laughing loudly. "This is funny! Well, let's try and make the most of this, eh? The others are counting on us!"

Creston smirked behind his helm. "Indeed. Shall we?"

"Yep!"

With those words, the two caravanners ran head on at the monsters. Ray yelled out a battle cry.

"LONG LIVE THE TIPA CARAVAN!"

**000**

"Those idiots," said Sam. They had stopped where the beginning of a dark, glittering cavern. Sam hadn't heard anything. Not a monster…or Ray and Creston.

"I should have stopped them," Sam choked out, eyes tearing up.

"Sam…listen," said Nieta. Her eyes were filed with grief, but her voice was strong. "The monsters have stopped. I can't hear them coming, or Ray and Creston."

"So?" asked Sam, his voice bitter.

"So they haven't died yet."

Sam felt hopeful, before the spark died.

"And?" he asked vehemently. "If the monsters won't kill them, the miasma will! This is all my fault."

Garrett looked down at him, before spitting at Sam's feet.

"Garrett!" hissed Lia.

"And you're my leader?" growled Garrett. "Pathetic."

Sam looked at him, his face reddening in anger.

Garrett looked away. "Don't you get it? While you're here moping, Ray and Creston sacrificed themselves for us to get away. You're disrespecting their wishes."

Star and Mika exchanged a look.

"And now, what're you doing?" asked Garrett, glaring at Sam angrily, tears in his eyes as well. "Sitting there like there, crying like a baby. I know Sam, and I know he isn't a crybaby. But right now, you're not Sam. You're a coward."

Sam flinched at those words. Mog looked between the two remaining boys. Nieta opened her mouth, but Mika covered it.

"So, what are you going to do? Because if you stop here, we won't have a leader," said Garrett, folding his arms. Sam didn't answer. Star put a hand on his shoulder, before the Clavat stood up.

"Where is this?" he asked Lia.

"It looks like…a hole in a giant rock," said Lia. "Sam, I think this is…the meteor."

Sam looked up. Star still saw tears on his face, but his eyes were determined now.

"Alright then, let's go," he said, marching forward. Garrett made after him, while Star ran up to Sam's side.

"Sam…just don't do anything rash," said Star, worriedly. "Ray and Creston have already sacrificed their lives uselessly."

"No…not useless," murmured Sam. "They did it so we could do what we came here to do…it wasn't useless, Star. Not useless at all."

And with those words, the remaining seven caravanners entered the meteorite.

**000**

Oh boy…we're done with this chapter…finally.

Favorite Parts: Garrett being right over Creston, Ray and Mika's moment, and Creston and Ray taking on the monsters. But my ABSOLUTE favorite moment in this chapter is the talk between Garrett and Sam. That was truly one of the greatest moments of the entire story. Garrett's old "tough-love" sort of concept really shows itself here.

Sam proposed to Star! But will they survive? And even if they both live, will they both keep their memory?

And probably the part that most of the people are going to want to here about. Ray and Creston? Yup. They're gone. Sorry…the two favorites of the series have been left behind, taking down the monsters so Sam and the others could move on. I'm not going to say anything else, except I am prepared for the hate reviews.

I think this may go down as one of my favorite chapters. It takes a lot for me to feel emotion, but this chapter ALMOST got me emotional…that's really saying something.

Next Chapter: The journey continues as the remaining caravanners journey deeper into Mount Vellenge. But can they succeed without Ray and Creston? And what lies in the center of the meteorite?

Ray: We were epic in this chapter-

Creston: So we get to ask for reviews. Oh goody. Well, review everyone.


	81. Inside the Meteorite

And here we have another session…these are sessions, right? I don't really know the words for this…the only one I can think of is chapter, and I've used that WAY too much.

Okay, so…part two of Mount Vellenge. This chapter won't be as long as last chapter. Just saying…

Uh, not much. Seriously, though, I can't believe this fanfiction is almost over.

However! I am going to be starting to write Rex's story soon…it's going to be called "From Caravanner to Criminal: Rex's Story". This, unlike the rise of Selstun, will not just be a oneshot. Second of all, it's Rex telling the story as he views it, not third person like in Selstun's story. Therefore, the story is going to be rated M because of Rex's foul language and sexual jokes…because Rex is full of them.

Other than that, not much going on. But I hope Rex's tale is more popular than Selstun's, because I like Rex better.

I shall begin!

**000**

Sam stepped out of the darkness, coughing. As soon as he had stepped into the meteorite, ash filled the air. Sam looked at his clothes. They were covered in soot.

Mika stepped out besides him, dusting the specks of soot off of her. "Ugh…it's all over me…"

Garrett was waiting for Ray to make a dirty joke, but then he remembered that Ray…wasn't with them anymore…

Star looked around. "Wow…everything's shiny in here…and it's so…so strange."

Lianora was inspecting the dark rock they were standing on. "We're inside the meteorite, alright. This is igneous rock. It was once lava, but it was cooled and hardened over time."

"Do we have to fight it?" asked Garrett.

"The rock? Of course not?"

"Then let's not worry about it," said Garrett gruffly. "We've got a job to do."

"I say we follow that path, kupo!" said Mog, nodding his head in the indicated direction.

The remaining caravanners began to move. The air made it hard to breath, but not just because of the ash and soot; the miasma here was stronger than ever…and although most of them were safe inside the boundary of the chalice, Sam was afraid of what would happen if they lost the chalice's protection. Sure, they had miasma tolerance. But Sam could sense the strength of the miasma in this place, even within the barrier of the crystal.

They continued to move along when they encountered a shade. Garrett growled at it. He hated everything about these creatures.

"Okay, here's our first contestant," growled the Lilty, stepping forward, as he did, a loud noise was heard. Garrett turned to see an orb glow with a bright purple aura. It looked similar to a sphere.

"What the heck is that?" asked Nieta. Lianora examined, before she felt a pang.

"It…it removed our crystal barrier!" gasped the Yuke.

"Destroy it! Quick!" yelled Garrett. "I'll hold this bastard off!"

Sam and Star began to strike the sphere wildly, feeling the pain of the exposure to miasma. After a few hits, the sphere shattered.

"Yes!" shouted Mika. Garrett was still holding off the shade, but the ghost seemed to take no damage from the Lilty's blow, due to still being transparent.

"Mika, can you use that Phoenix Down trick?" asked Lianora.

"I thought you said you could do a holy spell!" said Mika.

"I don't think I can!" wailed Lia fearfully.

"Of course you can! You're not STUPID!"

"But…"

"Dear lord, Lia!" shouted Mika, angry and sad at the same time. "I know you're not as proficient at magic as Creston, but you need to step up! He's gone- you're the only good mage now! Believe in yourself, damn it! It's what Creston would want!"

Lia sighed in defeat. She began to focus her mind. Creston had told her to imagine something fluid or gaseous becoming solid…like liquid to ice…closing her eyes, she channeled energy into her hands and her sword. Holding up her unarmed hand, she pointed it at the monster. With a cry, a white light burst forth, blasting the monster backwards. It wasn't gone, but it was solid.

With a triumphant shout, Sam and Garrett dashed forward, but they screeched to a halt as another monster emerged from the dark soot in the air. This monster was long and plant like, and stuck in the ground, similar to the Marlboro in away. It had a head that resembled a flower, and what LOOKED like a face. On the so-called face was a mouth full of sharp teeth. It roared loudly, and Sam avoided a blast of fire.

"What is that thing?" asked Star to Lia.

"I have no idea!" said Lia. "I've never even seen a picture of this monster in the many books I've read!"

"Well, THAT tells us how to deal with it!" snarled Garrett, his hair tuft catching on fire. Star hastily put it out with a blizzard spell.

"Just attack it!" shouted Sam. Sam ran forward, hacking the shade out of his way. It was finished off by Lia. Mika, Nieta, and Garrett all ran forward, stabbing the tentacle-like creature furiously. Although it managed to singe a few caravanners, it was no match for them, and it soon succumbed to their might after Mika used her blizzard ring to do heavy damage with a spell.

They continued along the blackened path, on guard and nervous. After a few minutes, Sam heard a scuffling sound.

"Hear that?" he whispered.

"Yeah…do you think a shade's following us?" asked Garrett.

"Shades float, genius," said Mika. "They don't scuttle around like crabs…I think it sounds like something…dragging itself.

"You're correct," said a quiet, pathetic sounding voice. They all whirled around to see…a Tonberry? However, unlike the chefs that they saw in Moschet Manor, this Tonberry was dressed in a brown cloak and seemed…more sinister…

"You probably heard my cloak," said the Tonberry. His eyes focused on Garrett. "You tried to kill me once, remember?"

"Aw, no, you're one of those damn chefs that got away!" shouted Garrett. He HATED when he didn't get to finish off a monster.

((Author's Note: AHAHAHA! I BET YOU ALL FORGOT ABOUT THEM!))

Dongle nodded. "Yes…and now it's YOUR TURN!"

He began to move forward, slowly and steadily. Mika rolled her eyes and fired several shots at the Tonberry. It was knocked backwards. Sam ran forward, but the Tonberry blocked the Clavat's onslaught with his knife. Sam continued to clash with the Tonberry, until he managed to defeat the creature. Stabbing it in the stomach, he walked away.

"That wasn't so bad," said Sam.

"You killed my friend…," said a voice. "Now I'll kill yours!"

Sam whirled around to see a cloak figure behind Garrett.

"GARRETT, WATCH OUT!" shouted Sam. Garrett whirled around, but the Tonberry was too quick for him. Bonkers thrust his knife straight at the Lilty.

There was loud SHUNK! Garrett was still. Bonkers the Tonberry stared at him. Then Garrett lashed out, severing the monster's head.

He turned around. "Right. Let's go."

"Garrett!" hissed Lia in horror, staring at a wound in his side. Garrett looked as if he was about to fall over, and he was getting paler by the second.

"It's nothing, okay?" growled the male Lilty. He spat out some blood. "I can keep going."

"At least let me wrap it so you don't drop dead when we need you," said Lia sharply.

His eyes narrowed. "Ha ha. Funny."

But he let her look at it. As soon as Lia confirmed that Garrett was ready to keep going, they moved forward, only to hear a low sound.

"That sounds similar to that thing before…," whispered Star. "The one that got rid of our crystal's power…"

"It's over there," whispered Nieta, pointing to the glowing sphere.

"Leave it to me," said Mika. "I'll take it out from here."

And so she did, firing multiple shots at the object. Soon, it shattered.

"We're clear," said Mika. "Move!"

Their next opponents were another shade and another strange tentacle. This one used lightning attacks (which Nieta was unfortunate to find out).

However, while Nieta and Garrett both took out the tentacle easily, the shade was proving difficult.

"Come on, Lia!" yelled Sam, dodging the shade's mace. "Cast the holy spell!"

"I can't! What if it was just a fluke?" asked Lianora, trying to concentrate.

"Then you better learn fast, because we really can't afford flukes, here!" snarled Mika as the shade tried to whack her. Lianora tried three more times before she managed to cast the correct spell. When the shade became opaque, it managed to give Star a hefty whack, but Mika retaliated, taking down the spirit.

"Lia…you need to be confident," said Star gently. "I know it's hard, and I can't understand the sorrow you feel, but…you need to believe in yourself more. Creston can't protect you now. You need to protect yourself…and us…"

"Or else we're screwed," muttered Garrett. Nieta threw him a furious look. But Lia hadn't heard.

"Alright," she said softly. "I'll try."

They came across another Tonberry, although this one didn't know them, and another shade. They ran into yet ANOTHER crystal nullifier, but Nieta's ears picked up the sounds quickly, and Lia had sensed it, so they were forewarned. Mika easily took care of the thing from a distance. Sam needed to keep them safe. They had already lost two…he wouldn't let anyone else go.

They hit a dead end with a treasure chest after defeating two shades.

"Ah crud, we went the wrong way," grumbled Garrett. Mika checked in the treasure chest.

"It's empty," she muttered. "Well, that's the icing on the cake right there…"

"Well, we'd better turn around and take a different path," said Sam.

Sam turned and his eyes widened. A shade was lunging at him, sword in hand.

"Duck!" shouted Lia. Sam got down on the ground. Lia closed her eyes and hit it with a holy spell. The shade became solid, but it cast a curse spell on Sam.

"Ah!" he yelled.

"You'll pay for that one, you stupid freak!" yelled Garrett, jumping at the shade and attempting to stab him. The shade floated out of his reach, looking down at Garrett as if gloating. Garrett growled and threw his spear up at it. It was struck, and it fell. Garrett finished off, before turning back to Lia.

"You're okay now, Sam," said Lia. "Curse spells are painful, but they're easy to heal, thankfully."

"Thankfully, we have you."

"Heh…I'm not that great…Creston was the better medic…but anyways, you're fit enough to go, so let's keep moving."

After battling another shade, they found another path to walk along. They came across another crystal nullifier. Unfortunately, this one was unexpectedly hidden behind a treasure chest, making this one actually remove their barrier. But working together, they all managed to take care of it before it caused too much damage.

"Ugh…," groaned Nieta. "Lia, can you heal me up?"

The Yuke nodded, going around and healing everyone in turn. She checked on Mog, but he assured her that he was fine.

"I can still hold the chalice, kupo," he confirmed.

Sam was about to respond when he was hit by a strong spell.

"Ouch!" he yelled, staggering.

"Where'd that come from?" asked Mika.

Sam tried to move, but he was moving slowly. "Well, it's a slow spell."

"Over there!" said Mika, pointing. In the direction she had indicated were two tentacles.

"One of them casts slow," said Lianora. "But what about the other one?"

They received an answer as Nieta was frozen. Lianora quickly unfroze her.

"Rush them so they can't cast magic on us!" ordered Sam. The caravanner surged forward, but as they did so, one of the tentacles cast another slow spell on all of them, causing their movements to grow sluggish. Nevertheless, they managed to defeat one of the tentacles. The remaining tentacle continued to cast blizzard spells at them.

"We're still slow," muttered Sam. "This is a problem."

"Well, here's a bigger one!" said Garrett, jerking his head. Behind them was another crystal nullifier, which was set off as Nieta was knocked back by the tentacle.

"Finish it, quickly!" said Sam to Mika. The Selkie nodded, and after she cleared herself, she and Star ran over to take care of it. As Sam and Lia stabbed the tentacle with their swords, he let out a sigh of relief as he felt the barrier come back up. Lianora jumped up high and slashed the tentacle in two, killing it instantly.

"Close call," she said, panting.

"Come on, we can't stop and rest," said Garrett.

"Wait!" said Lianora. "I want to check something."

She stepped over to where one of the tentacles was. By now, the creature had dissolved into the miasma, but Lianora was more focused on something else.

"What's going on?" asked Mika and Star, walking away from the destroyed nullifier.

"There's a hole here," said Lia thoughtfully.

"So?" asked Garrett.

"Don't you find it odd that there are plant like monsters here?" asked Lia.

"Not really, we've seen stuff like the Marlboro," said Garrett.

"This is different," insisted Lianora. "We're inside a meteor, near a mountain that is full of dead creatures, excluding the chimeras, maybe. But chimeras feed on ash and fire, as well as caravanners, so they're able to survive here."

"I still don't get it," said Nieta.

"What she's saying is that a plant shouldn't be able to grow here," said Star.

"Especially in the meteor," agreed Mika. "If they grew anywhere, it would be OUTSIDE the meteor."

"I think that those things aren't plants…they're attached to something…," said Lia.

"How do you figure?" asked Sam, curious.

"When I saw you take down the first one, I noticed the second one flinched in pain," explained Lianora. "At first I thought it was just because it felt bad for its fellow creature, but now…I think all of those tentacle beasts are connected to something…something up ahead."

"Well…we'll need to be prepared," murmured Sam. They began to walk again.

"I don't get why we have to talk about them," said Garrett.

"Because if Lianora's hunch is right, which is likely, we're going to be facing more of those tentacle beasts," said Sam. "And then we may have a clue on how to beat them if we find more of them."

"Who says that we have to fight anything?" said Nieta. "I thought there would just be something at the center of the meteor that we would have to destroy."

"That would qualify as fighting something," said Mika dryly. "My guess? It wasn't just a rock smashing into the world that caused the miasma. Something inside it most likely did…those things that get rid of our crystal's power can prove it-"

"Shh!" said Star. Mika gave her a bewildered look. Star pointed up ahead to a huge black cavern.

"Is that a wall?" asked Mika.

"No, I think…I think it leads to the center of the meteor," said Lia. "Judging by the paths we've taken, we should be heading straight for the center."

"So this is it," whispered Star.

Sam stared ahead. He wanted to give another motivational speech, but he knew it wasn't needed. They were already motivated enough. They were doing this for everyone…for their families, friends…Creston and Ray…his parents…

"This is it," repeated Sam. "It's time. Follow me everyone…"

It was destined to be like this. That's what the carbuncle had said. It was destiny, and it was time for Sam to face it.

**000**

And we're done. Hmm…I wasn't crazy about this chapter. I thought that the inside of the meteor was longer when I played it…but it really wasn't, so I didn't think this chapter would be so short. Still, it's okay.

Favorite Parts: Lia's struggle. Lianora didn't put up much of fight when Creston decided to leave, remember? And she seemed calm, though sad. Now we see a different side of her, without Creston watching over her. She feels a lot more nervous and scared now, but with help from the others, she's okay…oh, and the Tonberries return! I seriously think everyone forgot about them…even I almost did.

So yeah…I can't really say much about this chapter because…well…it's just the beginning of the end…so I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Keep reading!

Next Chapter: Lia's hunch was right. There is a huge monster waiting for them at the center of the meteor. Can the caravan defeat it? And even if they can, at what cost. And what's going on with the chalice?

Dongle: Please review…

Bonkers: …because everyone loves Tonberries!


	82. The Meteor Parasite

Well, here we are again…it's time for another chapter of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles. Note the fact that I am in school once more, and my updates will be a bit slower now…also, I think this'll be the last update until after I finish Total Pokémon Island (I'm almost done- 1-2 more chapters).

So this is it. Meteor Parasite battle. Seeing as we've got like…less than ten chapters left…I guess I can't really think of anymore awesome announcements. Sigh…

BUT! I can answer some anonymous reviewers!

Musashisuya- AH! HOW COULD YOU FORGET THE TONBERRIES! –stabs with a doink sound-

Twilight Symphony- …I sense a disturbance in the force- OH CRAP, AURA OF DOOM!

Senom299- Uh, yeah, the doink…Garrett killed them before they got to say it. I didn't forget. Not at all. Ray and Creston making a dramatic comeback? You actually don't think I have the nerve to kill off a character? FOR ALL YOU KNOW, WE COULD STUMBLE ON THEIR CORPSES!

Or not. Still, interesting theory…although it's hard to have a horizon in a meteorite. And I'm glad that my stories brighten up your day. Writing is a creative outlet of mine. :D

Anonymous Reviewer- Yes, all good stories must come to an end, sadly…but it's the legacy that counts.

So, here we go!

**000**

Sam felt as if he had walked into a nightmare as he stepped into a large chamber. Of course, the Clavat leader had never been to Tida or Rebena Te Ra, and Creston would've argued that both of those areas were living nightmares. But Sam, who had not been to either, was horrified by the sight before him.

The center of the meteorite was enormous…from what Sam guessed, there were multiple levels. The air had lost its sooty quality, although none of the caravanners had noticed, due to the fact of the monster in front of them. It was…some kind of parasite, living in the center of the meteor. It was large, and it was a brown color with a greenish tinge. It was very large, and it looked as if it was revolving slowly. At the top of it (was it the top- Sam wasn't sure) were a bunch of tentacles with blue tops (although they looked like teeth to Sam). Sam could spy other tentacles near the bottom of the massive monster, similar to the build of the Marlboro. That lessened the fears somewhat, as he believed this creature was immobile…even if it could move, the cavern, while huge, was too small for this thing to move around in. But despite this possible advantage, there was a bigger problem.

The presence of the miasma radiated off this creature in waves. Sam could feel it, even through the crystal barrier's protection, and the extra miasma tolerance given to them by Mag Mell. Sam gulped. Without the chalice and Mio's blessing, they would've been dead the moment they entered the room. Even Mog, who was immune to the effects of miasma, shrank back in fear. But now…they were still alive. And Sam knew that when it came right down to it, only one thing could survive; either the Tipa caravan or this thing.

And speaking of this thing, what exactly was it? It seemed that Garrett was thinking the same thing…

"Sam?" asked Garrett, his voice hushed, as if he believed the monster was listening. "Is…is this Raem?"

Sam looked hard. But when he stared at this beast, it didn't seem to resemble that large, dark figure in his nightmare. And he hadn't heard that voice yet…most of the intelligent bosses liked to give a speech.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't think this is."

"It wouldn't make sense," agreed Lia. "Raem is the master of memories, not miasma."

"And he hasn't spoken, either," added Star. She glanced at Sam, as if she had read his mind. "You told me that he spoke in your dream."

Sam nodded vaguely. He was focusing more on the beast in front of them. It wasn't really the appearance that caused him fear…it was more of the fact that besides the occasional rasping breath coming from the creature, the entire room was silent.

"Well, Sam?" asked Mika, folding her arms. "Are we going to do this?"

Sam shook himself out of his daze.

"Yes…yes we will…it's time," said the Clavat, twirling his sword in his hand. "Let's go, team."

Sam let out a ringing battle cry, and the warriors rushed forward. The Meteor Parasite shuddered before letting out a purple gas, but the caravanners managed to stop themselves before they ran into it. From behind, Nieta heard the ground cracking. She turned to see two tentacles emerging from the surrounding ground.

"Lia, you were right! They're a part of the parasite!" the Lilty exclaimed, before a tentacle lunged forward and grabbed her in its jaws. She stabbed the creature furiously, but it would not let go. Soon, she was hit with a fire spell at point blank range. She went sprawling across the landscape.

Star and Mika had moved back to deal with the other tentacle, which was sending bio spells across the battlefield. This left Lia, Sam, and Garrett with the parasite itself. Sam eyed it dubiously. He couldn't see its weak point! How were they supposed to do this?

Then the Yuke besides him gasped. "Sam, look at that!"

She pointed a feathery hand towards a tentacle emerging from the monster. The tentacle was black, but on the end was a star shaped object that was white in color. Something red gleamed in the center…whether it was a jewel or an eye, Sam didn't know.

"It looks like its watching us," said Garrett uneasily. He heard a shriek from behind and whirled around. Nieta was being chased by a tentacle. Garrett made to run, but Nieta stabbed it, and sent the monster rearing in pain.

"I'm fine!" she yelled, beating the monster back.

"I think that thing is its eye!" said Lia. "If we can get rid of that, it'll be blind!"

"Are you sure?" asked Sam, as the tentacle began to cast a bio spell near him. He leaped out of the way as the poisonous blast struck. Far back, he heard Star cry out in pain. Forcing himself to keep his eye on the main enemy, Sam bit his lip.

"I'm positive…I'll bet that eye was watching us enter this chamber…that's how it knew we were here."

"Alright…so I'll just cut up that eye, and then we'll be done!" yelled Garrett, launching himself forward, brandishing his spear.

The Parasite's eye tried to move, but Garrett was too quick. Longinus struck the monster, causing it to twitch and writhe in pain. In retaliation, the tentacle slammed down on Garrett, knocking his weapon from his hands and sending the Lilty staggering backwards.

"Watch out for it, guys," he said, panting. "It's stronger…than it looks…"

Lia and Sam both rushed forward, stabbing the parasite from both sides, but the eye wriggled before releasing the same gas as before. Sam let out a cough. Poison gas!

He and Lia moved back, but not before Sam was hit by the eye. Sam let out a yelp as the eye slammed down on his shoulder. He fell to the ground, but managed to scramble away before being hit again. Garrett wasn't kidding! This thing was strong!

Meanwhile, Mika let out a string of curse words as a tentacle head butted her. Sheesh…swearing. She was starting to sound more and more like Ray…Ray…what had happened to him? She closed her eyes for a moment and thought. Big mistake.

A blast from a bio spell sent Mika flying backwards. She landed on her back painfully, coughing from the poison. Star ran over.

"Mika, you need to be careful!" whispered Star urgently, clearing her friend. "I know this is hard, but-"

"Star, behind you!" said Mika. Star whirled around to see the tentacle lunging for them.

BAM! Mog swung the chalice and whacked the poison tentacle in the head. The monster teetered for a moment before falling over.

"Nice work, Mog!" said Mika, running over to help Nieta with her fire tentacle. Star, meanwhile, dashed at the Meteor Parasite to help Sam and the others. Sam and Garrett were dodging the attacks from the monster, but Meteor Parasite kept flinching in pain. It looked to the left, where Lia was attacking the body further down. The eye cast a curse spell on her, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I'll go help her!" said Sam, running off to get to her. "You guys distract it!"

"Sure, give us the easy job!" snarled Garrett in frustration, slicing the Meteor Parasite angrily. The monster whacked him and sent him backwards, sliding into a wall. He banged his head on the side, groaning.

"Garrett, are you alright?" asked Star, lunging for the parasite.

"Well, I'm breathing," growled the Lilty, getting back up and going to assist Star. But as he ran forward, another tentacle emerged. It head butted him, sending him skidding backwards again.

"Oh, come on!" huffed Garrett angrily. But he noticed Mika and Nieta taking down the other tentacle and running to go help Star, while Lia and Sam were going as well. They would be fine…he just needed to hold off this thing.

Mika was firing many projectiles at the monster's eye. "So this is the thing that brought miasma into the universe? Sheesh, it's ugly enough."

"The uglier they are, the more beautiful the victory is," said Nieta, dodging a bio spell.

Mika snorted. "You really are a poet."

The Selkie leaped forward and slammed her staff on the monster's eye. The Meteor Parasite writhed in pain before the eye retracted into the monster's body. Garrett severed the head of his tentacle opponent before he ran up to join the others.

Silence.

"Did we…kill it?" asked Nieta, eyes wide. "Was that it?"

Lia shook her head. "That can't be it…could it?"

"Maybe the reason why it was so difficult to get here was because the monster was really weak," said Star matter-of-factly.

They all waited. Then Nieta gasped.

"Guys, down there!" said Nieta, pointing. Towards the middle of the monster, on a different level floor of the cavern, she could see the eye emerging.

"Why is it down there?" asked Sam.

"The eye must be a weak point," theorized Lianora. "The monster writhed in horrible pain when we struck its eye. But when I simply attacked its body, it hardly even flinched. The eye is the key to destroying the creature!"

"So let's chase it down!" exclaimed Garrett. They all ran around, trying to find a way down to the lower level. Mika eventually found a path, where they all leaped down.

Garrett gritted his teeth as he jumped. His tunic under his armor was feeling wet…that damn Tonberry wound wasn't helping.

'_I can't let them know…they'll be too busy worrying about me rather than worrying about that freakin' monster…'_

"Garrett, come on!" urged Star, glancing back at him. Garrett sighed.

"Right, I'm coming."

They were at what seemed to be the torso of the beast. A bunch of short extensions were wriggling of the torso, and two more of those elemental tentacles sprouted up as they approached the location of the eye. One of them blocked their path as they tried to reach the eye.

Sam let out a growl of annoyance as he leaped for the tentacle. The tentacle reared back and slammed his head on all of the caravanners. Sam's legs buckled. He heard his friends gasping around him.

The only one who hadn't been crushed was Garrett. The Lilty had fallen and behind, and he hadn't caught up when the tentacle attacked. With a grunt of effort, he hurled Longinus at the tentacle. The sharp spear tore through the tentacle completely, hitting the ground close to the eye.

"Shit, I'm weaponless," muttered Garrett. And the tentacle wasn't done yet. It managed to freeze Garrett with an ice blast.

"So it's an ice tentacle," muttered Star. She unfroze Garrett and turned to face the tentacle, but Lia had already sprung into action. Dashing forward, she lashed out with her sword, leaving all kinds of cuts and marks on the ice tentacle, before hitting it with a powerful Fira spell at point blank range.

"All right, Lia!" yelled Nieta, as the caravanners ran through. Now they could deal with the eye, although there was another tentacle that was shooting lightning blasts at them.

"I'll deal with that," promised Sam. "You guys handle the Meteor Parasite!"

He dashed off to take care of the thunder tentacle. Nieta nodded, and turned back to fight the Meteor Parasite. Running forward, she slashed the eye with her spear. This time, the eye didn't even try to avoid the Tipa Caravan's attacks.

"What's this thing up to?" asked Star, bashing it with her shield and slicing it with her sword.

The answer came in moments. A large explosion knocked back Garrett, Nieta, Lia, and Star (as Mika had been attacking from far away. Sam turned back in fear, only to be shocked by his tentacle. Groaning, he limped away from his opponent, while Mika took it out from afar. Sam picked up Star.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head groggily.

Garrett got to his feet, cracking his back. "Hey, Nieta. You still alive?"

Nieta was in a sitting position, rolling her eyes at the question. But then her eyes focused on Garrett, horrified.

"Garrett! What is that?"

Garrett looked down. The explosion had knocked off his armor, revealing his bloody shirt. Lia, who was nearby, breathed in sharply.

"It's nothing," grunted Garrett, spitting out a drop of blood. He put his armor back on. "Worry about it later. We're going to kill this thing NOW."

Nieta looked uneasy. "Look, I'm not going to make some stupid sacrifice like-," Garrett swallowed, before continuing. "I'm not weak. I'll be fine. Okay?"

Nieta tried to smile bravely. "Okay…"

Lia, Star, Sam, and Mika had started running towards the eye again. But they were caught unawares when the short tentacles that were on the body of the parasite shot out a ton of blue lasers. Mika, Sam, and Lianora were all sent backwards. Star had managed to avoid it.

"What on earth was that?" she asked, staring at Lia, Sam, and Mika, who were all lying on their backs.

"No…idea…," gasped out Lia painfully.

"Well, whatever it is, we'd better avoid it if we can," said Mika, running forward. The eye tried to use an explosion attack on her, but Mika leaped into the air, soaring over the explosion and slamming down on the eye.

"I could use some help here!"

Nieta and Garrett were at her side, all striking down the eye. The eye was jerking and trembling, trying to avoid them. It eventually knocked all three fighters backwards, but Star, Sam, and Lia were waiting to take over. They all ran up and beat down the eye again.

"Hold on!" said Lianora. She ran backwards before focusing. Letting out a loud cry, she used a Holy spell on the monster. But to her surprise, there was no effect!

"Oh no, I messed it up!" she said, horrified.

"No, Lia…that was fine…I think it's holy resistant…," said Star.

"Are you sure?" asked Lia worriedly. "Ever since Creston-"

"Lia, if you had been unable to do magic all this time, we'd be dead!" said Sam impatiently. "Heal the others. We'll take it from here."

Lianora went from caravanner to caravanner, using cure spells on each. Garrett, Nieta, and Mika thanked her before reentering the fray. But they needn't have bothered. As Star struck down the eye again, the monster jerked, and the eye retracted back into the body.

Sam knew better this time…the battle wasn't over yet, as the presence of miasma was just as strong as before.

"Let's head further down," suggested Star. "It moved lower last time…it's probably done the same this time."

"You're right," agreed Sam. "Let's go!"

They headed down to try and find the next form of the parasite. Sam felt as if he was climbing down a tree. Somehow, that simple thought made him less afraid…he was just trying to get down a tree…a deadly tree that was filled with miasma…but a tree.

Once they got to the bottom, Sam saw that they were at what would be the trunk of the tree. The body looked very solid, as if it was meant to protect the monster. There was a large bulb on the body that was sticking out. Surrounding the bulb were eight tentacles with blue tips. Two tentacles emerged to help defend the main body.

"This is the strongest part," murmured Lianora, half to herself. "I can tell, just by looking at the body of this monster…the skin here is rough and hard, designed to protect the body from attacks."

"But it still can't see us unless the eye is visible," said Sam. "Where is it?"

"I think it's in there," said Star, pointing to the bulb. "Wouldn't that make sense? After all, the eye is big. Maybe that round thing is like the eyelid."

"That might be it," admitted Lianora, pondering quietly.

"Let's worry about these tentacles," said Mika, dodging a blast of a bio spell from a tentacle. "THEN we can worry about finding the eye."

"Agreed," said Nieta.

Sam, Mika, and Nieta ran to one eye, while Lia, Garrett, and Star headed to the other one. Sam was annoyed to find out that the tentacle he was fighting was casting slow spells.

"I hate those stupid slow spells!" he yelled as he was hit by said hated spell.

"Be faster," advised Mika, jumping on Nieta's head and pushing off.

"Hey!"

"Hey, your head is hard, and I needed a boost!" yelled Mika, smashing the tentacle. Its body fell to the ground, and it shook itself, dazed. Sam jumped on its head as the tentacle reared back up. It tried to shake the Clavat leader off, but Sam swung his sword and severed the tentacles head. Nearby, Lia and the Lilties had finished off their foe, and the Yuke was casting a clear spell on a poisoned Garrett.

"Now what, kupo?" asked Mog, as they were left facing the bulb.

The answer came not from a caravanner, but from the Meteor Parasite. The eight tentacles on the side of its head all came to life, shooting beams at the Tipa caravan. There were large explosions as each laser hit the ground. Sam slid backwards and fell over. How much strength did this thing have left?

"Mog!" shouted Star, seeing the moogle get shot out of the sky. Mog hit the ground and landed on his head. Lianora was beside him immediately. She picked him up.

"He's unconscious, but alive," the Yuke confirmed. "Put him far back. Who wants to guard him?"

Garrett jerked his head towards Nieta. Nieta glared at him hotly.

"Don't try and get me out of the fight!"

"I'm not! I just want you to be safe."

Mika rolled her eyes. "I'll guard him. After all, I can still attack this big lug from a distance."

"If there's any way to harm him," muttered Garrett.

"Sam, look!" said Star, pointing to the parasite. From that bulb-like object, the eye emerged, staring at them all once more.

"It didn't see us when it fired those lasers, but it knew we were there because of the tentacles," realized Lianora.

The eye tried to use its explosion attack, but the caravanners had caught onto its attack pattern by now. They all avoided it, although it skimmed Sam, and they began to attack the eye once more. Two more tentacles sprout up, a fire tentacle and an ice tentacle. The eye, which was slowing down rapidly, Sam noticed, went back into the eyelid. From there, it fired more lasers at the caravanners.

Sam let out another cry of pain. It was slowing down…but so were the caravanners…they couldn't keep this up much longer.

Garrett ran over to confront a tentacle, with Mika aiding him from afar. Lia and Star decided to fight the ice one, while Sam and Nieta stayed, waiting for the eye to reemerge. They didn't have to wait long. The eye flushed out again, with Sam and Nieta waiting to smack it down. It didn't take long for the eye to reenter its lid this time.

"We're almost there!" shouted Nieta.

"Yeah!" panted Sam. "Duck!"

The Clavat and Lilty both ducked as the lasers flashed over them again. Lia was hit this time, but Star had finished off their tentacle opponent. Star pulled Lia back into the crystal's barrier. Now that Mog was unconscious, they had set the chalice in the center of the battlefield, although it wasn't moving to keep them safe.

More lasers were fired, and this time Sam was sent flying backwards. He hit the stone wall hard, and then he crumpled to the floor, gasping in pain.

"Sam, are you okay?" asked Mika, starting to jog over.

"I'm okay!" he assured, rubbing his bloody skull. Well, that wasn't good. He also had quite a bit of burn marks on his body. Those lasers hurt.

Up ahead, the eye had come back out, probably knowing that it had less foes to deal with. Nieta was beating it down, smiling with determination. She leaped into the air, getting ready to smash the Meteor Parasite into the ground

A loud BOOM was heard, as an explosion sent Nieta shooting upwards. She hit the wall high in the chamber before she began to plummet.

"NIETA!" yelled Garrett, eyes widening.

"Don't worry, I've got her!" assured Sam, staggering forward. He caught Nieta, although it took all of his strength to do so. She was moaning in pain, rubbing her skull. Thankfully, Lilties weren't that heavy, even in armor.

Garrett's eyes were blazing now. He completely finished off his tentacle opponent and leaped for the eye.

"Uh oh," whispered Nieta, seeing Garrett charge at the eye.

The eye, perhaps sensing the anger it had caused, attempted to slip back into its shell, but Garrett smashed it down as it did so. He was swinging his spear like a madman, his attacks so frenzied that the others drew back and stayed far away from him.

"Oh my…," said Lia. She hadn't seen him this angry since the incident in Selepation Cave. Garrett was roaring in fury and rage, slashing the eye again and again. It continued to writhe and wriggle, trying in vain to get back into its protective lid. But it could not escape Garrett's wrath, as he continued to slash and tear the thing apart. Garrett leaped into the air and slashed the eye again, knocking it into the ground, stunning it.

Garrett was panting, but he didn't even look tired. Still looking enraged, he raised his spear again.

"Now for the finishing blow," he growled, glaring daggers at the stunned Meteor Parasite.

But as Sam prepared himself for the effect of this final strike, he saw a light shining. Garrett must've seen it too, as he stopped.

"What the-?" he muttered, glancing back. Sam was shocked…it was the chalice…the fallen chalice was glowing with a bright light. And…wait, what was that?

"STOP!"

There was a bright white light, and Sam saw nothing more.

**000**

I think we'll end with that little cliffhanger.

Favorite Parts: I liked it when Lia admitted that she was having issues with her magical skills after losing Creston. It really shows how emotional Lia is. But my absolute favorite part was when Garrett tore apart the Meteor Parasite after it hurt Nieta. One reviewer and I have discussed Garrett tearing apart the Meteor Parasite…well, there it is…

I liked this chapter, for the most part…and I'm sorry if some sections seem longer or shorter than the others…I've always found the second section of the battle to be really short…same with the third…

Well, I tried to keep it action-y and intense. Hopefully I achieved that…but I digress.

Next Chapter: What has happened? Sam and the gang have arrived in a strange place. Are they dead? No…that couldn't be possible, seeing as Creston and Ray aren't there. But where are they? And when a voice comes to them, what happens?

Meteor Parasite: Review.

Mog: You can talk, kupo?

Meteor Parasite: Yes.

Mog: But…during the battle-

Meteor Parasite: I like the term "silent but deadly."

Mog: …okay then.


	83. Memories

Well, it's time for another chapter of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles!

Behold…the Nest of Memories. That's all this chapter is…pretty much…this chapter PROBABLY won't be too long, but I'll try to make it long enough to make it enjoyable.

By the way, many of Mio's lines are directly from the game. But some will be edited a little bit to suit my story. Just telling you. I do not own Lady Mio or Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. Even though I've already made my disclaimer.

Some of Mio's questions will be more personal things, not about the game. For example:  
Mio: (To Garrett) Where did you first meet Rex?  
Garrett: The Fields of Fum.

Of course, the answer would've been different if it was Star.

Uh…anything else to add? Nah…sorry if this chapter is kind of boring and bland- that's how I felt about the Nest of Memories.

Well, I hope you like this new chapter!

**000**

Sam's eyes fluttered open. All he could see was white. At first Sam thought he was having that old dream again, but the white light began to fade as his eyes remained open. White light…

Was he dead? Apparently not, as he heard a groaning voice near him.

"What the hell? My head is killing me…"

As the bright light faded, Sam realized Garrett was here too…so Sam was alive…or they were all dead. But…Creston and Ray weren't in sight…so maybe they were still alive…or maybe Creston and Ray hadn't died…

Or maybe this was all some sort of hallucination. It wouldn't be the first time things didn't make sense.

Sam stood up, but before he got the chance to look around, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. Sam turned in alarm, expecting an enemy, but it was only Star.

"Sam…where are we?" she whispered. Sam finally took the time to look around so he could answer. They were in a blue abyss…the world around them was a deep sapphire color. Sam looked down to see that they were standing on what looked like water, but was actually simply a blue floor.

But that was not the only feature of this world. Floating throughout the blue world were many images of locations…Sam frowned in thought when Lianora gasped.

"That's Mag Mell!" she said, pointing in the direction of the image of the tiny town. All of the cocoons were even there.

"And that's Veo Lu Sluice!" exclaimed Nieta, pointing wildly in a different direction. "And…and I think that's Tida, before it was destroyed!"

"This is a strange place," growled Garrett uneasily. "I don't like it…seems fishy to me."

"This isn't a place of evil," said Mika, looking around. "I don't sense any malice here at all…it's almost safe…but still, where are we?"

"Are we inside the chalice?" asked Star nervously.

Lianora shook her head. "No…that wouldn't explain why all of these locations are here…it's as if we've entered the realm of our memories…and that we can see them floating around us."

"Does that mean we're going to have to fight all of the monsters within our memories?" snarled Garrett. "Because I'm a little tired after-"

He gasped. "Wait a minute. I'm not tired at all…I feel fully healed!"

"Me too!" said Star. Then she frowned. "But Mog isn't here. Is he alright, I wonder?"l

"Memories…," whispered Sam quietly. So that was it. They were within the realm of memories…but…the only possible way for them to be there would be to be summoned by one of the two residents…so it was either Raem or…

There was a bright flash of light a little far away from them. They all turned, Garrett with his spear ready. Sam forgot that they had no idea what was coming, and so he hastily withdrew his sword as well.

The bright light remained…it sort of resembled…a blob. But Sam couldn't think of any other word for it. But when he looked at it carefully…it resembled a person.

"What's with the blob?" whispered Nieta.

"It's not a blob!" hissed Lianora. "Look down below it!"

Sam and Nieta both looked down towards the floor. Like a mirror, it reflected the bodies of the caravanners. Sam looked down to see his own reflection staring up at him. But near the light, instead of reflecting the blob…it reflected the body of a girl. Sam frowned. He wasn't sure about this…this could be Raem playing a foul and wicked trick.

"Should we kill it?" muttered Garrett.

Mika snorted. "Stop thinking with your spear and with your head."

"Who are you?" the Clavat leader asked.

"This is no place for you. You shouldn't have come."

The voice was clear, feminine and rang out like a bell. It was not the same as the harsh, ragged, and cruel voice that had dragged them into this place, or the mocking voice that haunted Sam's dreams.

So this had to be…Mio.

"You'll be easy prey for Raem."

The light turned to face them.

"No, you should have never come here," said Mio, seemingly sad.

She vanished instantly, only to reappear behind them

"Alright, that's IT!" roared Garrett, but Star and Nieta restrained him.

"You have many more memories yet to spin!" said Mio. "I did not intend for you to come here so soon!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sam.

"When I implanted the memories of your parents into you…I did not intend for you to remember and come here so quickly," whispered Mio.

"I- wait, you're Mio, aren't you!"

"I am."

"How did you even implant the memories into me?" asked Sam, mystified.

"I placed them far into your brain but…I believe when you took your father's sword in hand, they all began to become more apparent."

"My father's…this is my father's sword?" asked Sam in astonishment, looking down at his Bastard's Sword.

"Yes," said Mio, nodding. "Haven't you wondered why you've never thought to get a new one? That sword is blessed with memories, the memories of your father and mother."

"Well, that explains why he never got a better weapon like Star," muttered Mika to Nieta.

"You and I will always be bound to one another. Wherever there is light, there is shadow. We can never be parted. Now…and always," said Mio, although Sam wondered if she was still talking to them when she said it.

"But perhaps you can no longer spin new memories…," she continued. "Just like Leon and Hurdy."

"Leon…and Hurdy? You mean Gurdy's brother?" asked Nieta.

"Brother? No…I have never heard of such a man…I only know that the Black Knight and Hurdy both lost their memories when they attempted to take on Raem…it was only by my power that I saved them."

"So YOU were the light that the Black Knight was chasing!" shouted Garrett, almost accusingly.

"I was trying to help Leon recover his memories," explained Mio.

Lianora shivered. "And Hurdy? Hurdy survived too, correct?"

"Yes…," said Mio.

"I saw an image of him…he looks exactly like Gurdy, but with different clothes," said Sam.

"No, Sam," said the Yuke, shaking her head. "I don't think Hurdy has a brother. I think Hurdy IS Gurdy…and that he forgets who he is."

Star gasped. "Because Raem stole his memories!"

Lady Mio trembled as she sensed a great power beginning to increase. "Prepare yourselves. You have roused Raem from his slumber."

Lady Mio then flashed brightly. Sam couldn't see anything. When the light finally cleared, they were still surrounded by all of the locations they had visited. Mag Mell, Veo Lu Sluice…and even Tipa, their hometown. Sam shivered. Would they ever be able to return there from this place?

Mio spoke once more. "I subsist on a tiny amount of memories you have forgotten. But not Raem. No!"

Mio froze as two peculiar shapes appeared on either side of her. They glowed red, and Sam felt the familiar maliciousness radiating from them. This wasn't Mio's doing. Raem was behind this. Bodies appeared behind the symbols, and before Sam knew what was happening, the creatures ran forward.

"These are minions of Raem!" said Mio.

"I don't care, if they try and kill me, I'll rip them apart!" growled Garrett, running forward. One of the minions smacked him, but Garrett wasn't too badly injured. He began cutting it open furiously, before glancing at his friends.

"C'mon, help me out here! I can't handle both of these stupid things!"

Sam and Star both ran forward to help Garrett out. Within moments, the two creatures were defeated.

"It cannot be!" said Mio, her voice laced with shock. "How could Raem's spies have come so far? Run!"

"No way!" snarled Garrett.

"We NEVER run from a fight," said Mika, painfully aware of how they had run from the monsters of Mount Vellenge…except for Ray and Creston. Ray…she could hardly even think about him without tears threatening to stream down her face.

They were teleported again, although the locations around them and the blue light were still present. Sam didn't even know if they had moved at all. Star gripped his hand reassuringly. Mio began to speak once more.

"You see, Raem lays claim to all your memories, even those etched deeply into your minds. All that is remembered shall be eventually forgotten. But some memories are held close while their warmth remains."

She nodded towards Sam and Star. Sam clutched Star's hand even tighter.

"Such memories are too dazzling for me to grasp," said Mio, almost enviously. "I wonder... Perhaps memories that shine brightly are too much for even Raem's greedy clutches."

"What do you mean?" asked Lia.

"I only nibble on memories now and then; but Raem lives in excess, eating every memory he can get…look at the plague of Tida…that was all Raem's doing, to get rid of a strong village and to devour their equally strong memories."

"That explains a lot," whispered Nieta to Garrett.

Mio continued to look thoughtful. "Perhaps you might not have made it here without such radiant memories lighting your way. Perhaps if your most powerful memories strike Raem… if you wish with all your heart to return home… your desire will strike him down!"

Star stared incredulously. "You believe we can defeat Raem with our memories? Even though he devours them?"

"Yes…hold fast to your brightest memories and step through the doors of recollection. You will face Raem soon enough, after I see how strong your memories really are!" said Mio, her voice strong. "Behold the door of recollection! Behold the key of remembrance!"

Mio raised her arms and a large door appeared out of nowhere. It was golden brown with a lantern hanging off of it. There was an elaborate design on the wood. Mio held a blue orb in her hand. Lia guessed that this was the key of remembrance.

"Can we have the key?" asked Lia. "We'll need it to get to Raem."

"Not yet," said Mio.

"Well, we're definitely going to be able to fight Raem if we CAN'T EVEN GET TO HIM," said Mika sarcastically. "If you want us to win so much, give us the key!"

"Your most powerful memories will gain strength when you pass through the door," said Mio. "But faded memories will mutate into monsters and turn upon their master!"

"Like those minions, you mean?" asked Sam, staring at her.

"Yes," said Mio. "Answer with care! Remain calm and focus. It takes only a single powerful memory to open the door."

Lianora closed her eyes behind her helm and concentrated on all of their adventures.

"I will ask each of you one question. You must remember YOURSELF- your friends cannot assist you. If you answer a question correctly, you may pass through the door. If you answer incorrectly, your memories will turn on you, and you will have to answer another question."

She looked at Star first.

"What was the name of the monster who guarded the tree of myrrh in Tida?"

Star frowned, thinking. "His name was Armstrong, right?"

Lady Mio nodded. "Yes, indeed…Armstrong," she said, her voice grief. "He was a monster that I could pity. Pass through the door. You are one step closer to facing Raem. Step through and your memories will grow stronger yet. Wait for us on the other side."

Star trembled as Mio opened the door with the key. Looking at her friends worriedly, she stepped through before the door vanished! Garrett let out a roar of horror.

"Patience, warrior…she is safe…," soothed Mio. Garrett glared at her mutinously, but he didn't do anything else. He glanced at Sam.

Sam was scared as well. Was Star okay? He gave Garrett a shake of the head, telling him not to do anything. Garrett grunted in annoyance.

"I remember when Leon on Hurdy came here," Mio murmured, half to herself. "Raem robbed them of their memories, and I could do nothing but watch. After seizing their memories, Raem seemed somehow dissatisfied. I believe it was because they had always focused on the future and had too few memories left to savor. That is why they were such easy prey- their memories were weak. But you seem different from them. I sense it."

Shaking her head sorrowfully, she turned to face Lianora.

"Where and how did your wings get burned off?" she asked the Yuke.

"At…at Rebena Te Ra," recited Lia nervously. "Selstun…Creston's father…burnt them off with a Firaga spell after I jumped in the way to save…Cr…Cr…"

"It is alright," said Mio, still in her calm, soothing voice. "I know that you remember. Step through the door."

Lia didn't face the others as she too stepped through the door.

Mio watched her step through, as another door appeared. "The memories are growing stronger. I wonder, did they imagine the faces of their friends when they stepped through those doors? Or perhaps their mothers? I wonder, yes I do…"

Sam frowned, trying to see his own mother's face in his mind. It was still a bit fuzzy, but he could see her sweet smile, brown eyes, and brown hair.

"It is your turn, warrior," said Mio. "Tell me, which creature plotted to destroy the village of Tipa so long ago?"

Garrett's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "It was the Orc King, right?"

"No, that is incorrect," said Mio. A minion emerged and charged at Garrett. Sam was ready to help, but Mio shook her head.

"This is his battle," she said. "You cannot help him fight his own memories."

But while Garrett's memories weren't that strong, his fighting strength was. He disposed of the monster with relative ease.

Mio seemed calm. "It is reassuring that you have the battle skills to protect your memories, Lilty. We need warriors like you…we've needed them ever since the meteor crashed. I still remember that fateful day."

"You do?" asked Nieta.

"Long ago, a meteor crashed down and shattered the great crystal. It warped the natural course of the world. Raem was born of that cataclysm. He gorges himself on memories, and from those memories, monsters are born. Monsters further the cycle by making you suffer. And then Raem consumes your painful memories with delight. It is a cruel and vicious circle…and also a brilliant plot."

Mio sighed. "I want to see this age come to an end. I want to see memories properly spun and returned to nature. I want to revive that golden age. The age of peace, long ago…"

Mio moved onto Mika.

"How many times has Ray saved your life over the course of your adventures?" asked Mio.

Mika shut her eyes tight, not only in thought but to prevent tears from rolling down her face again. She had to ask about Ray of all things.

"He saved me in Mushroom Cave…Selepation Cave…Daemon's Court…Conall Curach…and here," she said, her voice unusually quiet. "Five times…"

"That is correct," said Mio gently. "You may pass through the door."

Mika gave a firm nod to Mio and her teammates, before passing through the door. Sam thought her heard her sniffling slightly, but it may have been his imagination.

"On one hand, painful memories can sometimes help one grow," said Mio thoughtfully. "On the other hand, joyful memories can make one look only backward and forget about moving forward. All memories are forgotten eventually. Simply due to the fact that I nibble on them from time to time- where Raem devours them excessively. But I usually cause your memories to only disappear a long time after they have occurred. For I am the Queen of Reflection, Mio."

She turned to face Nieta. "What was the name of Jack Moschet's wife?"

Nieta frowned in thought. "It was…Madison…right?"

"No, I'm afraid that is wrong," said Mio, as a minion sprang up. Nieta defeated it without a problem.

"As you've all probably figured out, the miasma arises from the meteor parasite within the center of Mount Vellenge."

"Is that that thing we fought?" asked Garrett. "It has a name?"

"Yes. Raem depends on the wicked power of miasma. That is why he tried to stop you from finishing off the meteor parasite."

"So it WAS him," said Sam, his suspicions confirmed.

"The powers of memories here are immense compared to that of your world. Believe in their power for just a little longer!"

She turned to face Sam. "It is your turn, Sam. How you've grown up since I implanted those memories within you…I knew I made a fine choice…although I did not expect us to meet again so soon."

Sam almost blushed, despite the situation. She was talking to him as if she was an aunt or some old relative.

"Sam, what was the monster who guarded the tree of myrrh in Veo Lu Sluice?"

"The golem, right?" asked Sam.

"Correct. You may pass through."

Sam gulped, waved to Nieta and Garrett, before stepping through the door. There was a flash of light (although these weren't uncommon occurrences to him anymore, and when he could see again, he was with Mika, Lianora, and Star.

"Where are Nieta and Garrett?" asked Mika worriedly.

"Still answering their questions," said Sam. He hugged Star close. He had been worried for a minute there.

They waited. And waited. Sam was worrying about the Lilties now. What if their memories weren't strong enough?

But after some minutes (although it seemed like ages) Garrett stepped through, panting.

"We both got another question wrong," he said. "And then we had to fight another minion, except it was HUGE! Nieta should be here soon."

He was correct. Nieta hopped through a minute later. Mio teleported out of thin air once more.

"Raem draws near. He is close…," whispered Lady Mio worriedly. "But…your memories blaze so brightly! I can endure them no longer! Such a terrible glow…you may well defeat Raem! I will ask you all one more question…you may answer it together!"

A door appeared, and another glowing key appeared in the queen's hands.

"After your great fight, where did you all finally make up?" asked the Queen.

Nieta looked confused. Mika shrugged. Star smiled, knowing the answer.

"The Fields of Fum, in an inn," said Star. "Although we temporarily made up in Selepation Cave."

"Correct…such powerful memories," said Mio. "You can defeat Raem, I'm sure of it."

The key flew over into the door, which creaked open slowly.

"I believe…that beyond the light, a dazzling future awaits. You are ready now. But before you face Raem, I'd like to share something with you."

"Memories, you see…they are like a pack that you carry as you trek toward the future. This burden cannot be too heavy, nor can it be too light. If it is too heavy, it will weigh you down before you ever reach your destination."

Nieta remembered the time where Garrett's armor had been too heavy for him to wear in Lynari Desert and grinned. Garrett shot her a bewildered look.

"If it is too light," continued the spirit. "You will reach your destination having gained nothing from the journey. But memories can brighten your journey if balanced at just the right weight. Stop along the way now and then…to look about and savor the view."

Mika glanced at Star. Star always took the time to enjoy those little things in life. Mika had always mocked her for it, but now the Selkie realized how important it was; her Clavat friend had been right all along.

"A traveler grows from such a journey and spins the best memories from it. Those memories become myrrh and are collected by the next traveler. Please, do not abandon the spinning of more memories. They are needed for a stable, tranquil future."

Mio glowed, as if she was gathering up her power.

"Come! We cannot turn back now!"

With yet another large flash of light, Lady Mio teleported them once more…for what could possibly be the last time. For they were heading for the lair of Raem…the final battle was about to begin.

**000**

And we're done.

Favorite Parts: I think the little tidbits of this chapter of the caravanners' memories are enjoyable. I really liked Mika and Sam in this chapter- Mika is really sad about Ray being gone, but she refuses to show it.

I never noticed how much the story followed Sam until now. Yes, to those of you who were wondering why Sam never switched his sword, that is why- it was the way Mio gave him back his parents memories, and so he never really thought to change it.

I find this chapter half good, half bad…I think the caravanners were good, but... I took most of Mio's monologues directly from the game (there are a fair number that I either wrote, or put into my own words). I never really liked the Nest of Memories…too many long speeches and annoying questions (I got really easy ones).

I'm sorry if this chapter sort of…lacks in creativity. I didn't want to butcher Mio's lines too much. But I tried to throw in SOME creativity. Next chapter will be much better, I promise. Now that I've finished Total Pokémon Island, I should be able to update more frequently now.

And I've done some foreshadowing. Eeheeheeheehee…but I won't spoil anything.

Next Chapter: Sam and the remaining gang finally meet with Raem face to face. It's the beginning of the end- for either Raem, or our heroes! But when Raem reveals a dark trick, what will happen?

Nieta: Well, all of the caravanners are getting more chances to request reviews, so…yeah! Review!

Mio: Indeed. Review.

Nieta: Hey…this was my chance to get a request…


	84. Finale

Here it is! Another chapter of Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles…sorry if this one took a little while, but…it's going to be the epic final battle! Hurrah!

Yes, it's Tipa vs. Raem! Let's see how the story ends, shall we?

I originally almost split this into two chapters, but…I forgot how short the battle with Raem is…also, I believe the chapter works better all together...we've had enough moments where the chapters split lately…

Also, I'm editing some of Raem's dialogue…giving him some more evil lines.

Second of all, they ARE fighting the ENTIRE battle…so when memory bubbles appear, more than one will appear at once (most people will understand what this means when we get to that point)

But anyhow, tiny author's note because I don't want to hold you guys up reading this. Here it is! The final battle!

**000**

The world around them no longer had the aura of safety and memories. Quite the opposite- the aura of malice and evil that surrounded Raem was stronger than ever.

The caravanners looked around as the white light faded away. There was a large golden object, shaped like the sun- it resembled a window in a way- that glowed with golden light. They were surrounded by darkness, with little specks of light or dust around them. It looked as if they were standing on air- they could still even see the blue area that was the Nest of Memories.

Mio appeared before them, a glimmering light of hope in a world of dark evil around them.

"Here he comes," she said simply. Sam held his breath and waited. Star clutched his other hand, not in fear, but in anticipation. Garrett had a scowl on his face as he waited, Nieta casting worried glances at him. Lia seemed a little nervous, but remained calm, while Mika hardly looked fazed, stretching while she waited.

A blue barrier appeared around them in a flash.

"What the heck?" asked Garrett, looking around wildly.

"Stay calm. It is my doing- it is for your own protection," said Mio, her words quick. "He is almost here!"

And as she spoke, Sam and Star both stared as a purple mist appeared in the air, near the golden light.

And then Raem appeared.

Sam's immediate first impression was a large bird, or dragon. Raem had a large golden head, and he had a large beak. Two great arms spanned out, ending in talons that resembled the great monster's head. Feathers were attached to these arms, making them look like enormous wings. Two golden claws extended from his shoulders, and there was a large ridge on his back. His body was black and red, with two bluish extensions at the bottom- legs that had never fully developed or something. He had a brown stomach with some blue patches on it- they looked like a liquid of some sort.

When Raem spoke, he made the caravanners' skins crawl, although he was not speaking to them- his voice was mocking and deep, and laced with menace.

"Why, if it isn't Lady Mio!" he crooned. "What is all this? I see you have brought a mortal to this realm. This will not do."

Even Garrett was a little spooked. The warrior who had been brave before was now nervous and anxious. This thing was Raem?

"Enough! We dwell in a world of memories," said Mio. She shook her head. "If you would eat just a few memories and return them as dew, we could live in harmony forever! Instead, you keep the dew they create to yourself in those spots that decorate your body."

Star looked at those patches, and realized that it was myrrh. So Raem fed on both memories AND the myrrh they created.

"We may have begun the same way Lady Mio, but as you should well know, I was raised on miasma…nourished by it," said Raem. "Both memories and miasma are quite essential to me."

Nieta gritted her teeth. Monster!

Raem's voice grew dark, and Lia thought she could see a twisted smile on his features. "For you see, of all the many memories born of this world of miasma…the ones filled with sorrow are the most delicious of all. Indeed, the final memories of the villagers of Tida were most succulent…delicious, delicious…"

Mika glared at the King of Memories with hatred. This…this thing destroyed an entire village of people just so he could satisfy his cravings for memories?

"One day, my dear Lady Mio, you MUST try some!" said Raem. He cackled loudly. His voice grew shrill and mocking with contempt. "Those fools' final thoughts were all about how their caravan let them down! They were horrified! But some believe they still had a chance! Even as I destroyed them, some of them still clung to hope! It was pathetic!"

His raucous laughter subsided into a malicious chuckle. "It's not as bad as it sounds, you know. Over time, my dear Lady Mio, you may grow to enjoy those sorrowful memories the way I do. They truly are…delectable."

Lady Mio shook her head once more. "You cannot be serious," she said, disgusted. "I am not a glutton like you."

She teleported up to Raem's large head. Even behind the barrier, the six caravanners could sense the great power coming from both creatures.

"Raem, you and I are both born of memory!" scolded Mio, as if she was talking to a child instead of large, evil being. "We have no need to devour memories, nor do we have any need for miasma! All of your plans for taking out all unnecessary villages are foolish! This entire scheme you have is insane!"

"But that was so very long ago," said Raem, as if he had not heard Mio at all. "I wonder if other delicacies will ever surpass the memories of Tida."

For the first time, Raem looked directly at the caravanners. "Perhaps we could start with the memories of those caravanners down there. I wonder how they taste…"

"No, you will never touch them," said Mio. "These memories burn too brightly for you!"

Raem laughed once more. His laughter echoed throughout the abyss around them. "Oh, are you memories that powerful? The memories of a ragtag band of Tipa, a tiny little village? Young warriors foolish enough to enter my domain? Look at them. There were originally eight, but now-"

"Don't you dare talk about Ray and Creston!" said Lia dangerously.

"Our memories are enough to kick your ass!" shouted Mika.

"Is that so?" hissed Raem. "Well, that makes me hunger for them all the more!"

"Raem, that is enough!" shouted Lady Mio angrily. "It is time to end this once and for all!"

The girl waved a hand and the barrier shattered.

"FOOL!" roared Raem, his voice ringing with terrible triumph. Mio screamed as she slammed against the floor.

"Lady Mio!" yelled Star, trying to run over and help, but Sam stopped her.

"Careful, it could be a trap!" said Nieta.

"I will let no one stand in my way!" said Raem angrily. "I will destroy all of you! And then the world will be under my control!"

"We won't let you!" shouted Garrett.

"You'll never get away with it," said Nieta.

"Oh really?" asked Raem. "And I suppose you're going to fight me?"

"Not only that," said Sam. "We'll defeat you!"

"Then let's see how strong these memories of yours really are!" challenged Raem. With a loud screech, Raem swooped down to face them in battle. It was the beginning of the end. He waved his enormous wings, summoning two minions to help him. The first one was red, like the minions that they had fought back when they were answering Mio's questions. But the second was small and blue.

Raem let out a loud squawk and sent two blue orbs rushing at the Tipa caravanners. Mika leaped backwards, while Lia turned herself transparent.

The others, however, were not so lucky. Sam threw himself in front of Star (it was too late to dodge), but when the two balls hit, they were all frozen, minus Lia and Mika. Mika used a clear spell from afar to free her friends, but then she was stunned by the small blue minion.

"I'll help her!" said Nieta, trying to not let her teeth chatter. She was still feeling the effects of Raem's attacks, even though they had all been fully healed in the Nest of Memories. He wasn't the most powerful monster for nothing!

Garrett, meanwhile, had ran forward at Raem, spear twirling in his hand. But as he drew close to the monster, Raem's wings extended and stabbed him in the sides. Garrett let out a howl of pain.

"What's wrong, little fool?" purred Raem evilly. "Is this all you can do?"

"Garrett, come back!" shouted Sam. They had just been healed- they couldn't afford to get seriously injured.

Garrett let out a growl. "Sam…SHUT UP!"

With all his strength, he hurled his spear at Raem's stomach. Raem let out a loud cry of pain.

"Thank god he's not invincible…," said Sam.

"Sam! Look out!" yelled Mika from afar, as she whacked the blue minion over the head. Sam turned around only to be smacked away by the red minion.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Star. She bashed the monster in the back before slicing at its body furiously. It wobbled before falling over and vanishing.

Despite the intense situation, she smiled. "How about that?"

Sam gave her a grateful smile, but he was too busy admiring her to realize that Raem had sent the blue balls shooting at them once more. Sam prepared himself for another icy blast, but this time Raem's attack turned into a Firaga spell. He and Star were both knocked back, while Lianora had become transparent once more.

Garrett, meanwhile, ducked under Raem's arms, dodged a ball from the monster, grabbed his stuck spear, and tore it out of the monster's body.

"That's more like it!" he growled in satisfaction. Raem let out a snarl of annoyance before tossing his head, sending Garrett rolling backwards. Lia became opaque once more and caught him.

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "When did you learn to do that?"

"Creston taught me many things," she said. "Like this!"

Muttering quietly, she sent a large white beam at Raem. A holy spell. But to her enormous shock, Raem was unaffected.

Raem laughed cruelly. "I am extremely resistant to magic, Yuke. Your little spells won't save you here."

"Then maybe this will!" yelled Lianora, running forward. The large wings swung towards her, but she ducked. When the hands appeared above her body, Lia stabbed her sword upwards into one of Raem's arms. Raem let out a surprised growl. She was quite physically strong for a Yuke…but that wouldn't stop him. Raem struck out with his wings once more, hitting Lia backwards. Seeing that this time she was opaque, Lianora was sent flying far, caught by Mika, who had been casting spells from afar.

"I've been analyzing him from afar this whole time," reported Mika. "I've been casting magic on him throughout this battle."

Lia frowned. "Then why hasn't he noticed and attacked you?"

"That's just it. He hasn't noticed. He's got some heavy resistances to magic…we're going to have fight him almost completely physically."

Lia nodded. "Fight from a distance," she said. "That way you'll be in less danger than the others. I'll pass on the message."

"Got it!"

Lia got up before dodging a large Thundaga attack, courtesy of Raem. She made her way over to Sam, and passed on Mika's message.

"Sneaking around to find out weaknesses, like a true Selkie," said Sam, half-exasperated, half-amused. "I'll tell everyone else."

Meanwhile, Star and Nieta were fighting Raem, who had just sent Garrett flying across the area.

Star was slashing furiously at Raem's body. When Raem made to strike her, Nieta took over. Raem angrily fired two blue balls at them, sending them flying backwards.

Star struggled to her feet. "He's not too strong," she said, coughing. "Powerful, but beatable."

Nieta nodded. "We can take him."

Raem growled. Their memories were glowing brightly. But he would finish them.

"It won't be that easy!" he shouted, stabbing an oncoming Lianora with his talons. Lia let out a cry of pain before slumping over. Raem drew back his arms to strike her again.

"One down!" he hissed triumphantly, arm rushing forward.

"Someone get her out of there!" ordered Sam.

"I'm on it!" replied Garrett. He picked up Lianora and carried her away. Raem's beak turned into a cruel smirk as he shot a blue energy ball at the Lilty. Garrett heard the hum of energy behind him, and glanced back wildly. Grunting with effort, he tossed Lianora over to Mika, who stopped firing shots and caught her. Garrett smiled before being hit with the powerful Firaga spell.

"Garrett!" screamed Nieta.

"Nieta, focus!" said Sam, dodging Raem's talons. He hopped onto one of Raem's wings.

"What?" hissed Raem in shock. Sam ran up the great monster's wing, swing his sword towards Raem's head. Raem managed to move his head out of the way, but Sam managed to leave a nasty cut on him.

Raem growled and body slammed the Clavat. Sam let out a yelp as he was knocked over. Raem lunged forward and hit the Clavat away.

Sam groaned, getting up. Raem was definitely getting weaker. Judging by all of the wounds he had gotten (and the ones he was still receiving, as Mika was shooting at him from afar, and Garrett was charging in).

But the caravanners weren't doing well. Mika had minimal injuries, while Star had a few bruises. Garrett was probably in the worst condition, covered in bruises, wounds, and burns, but he was still standing strong. Nieta had some burns from Firaga and Thundaga spells. Lia had recovered, but was still bleeding from one side, and she was clutching her ribs as if she had broken one. Sam himself had a few cuts, but he had also broken something in his leg. He winced as he put pressure on it as he got to his feet.

Raem gave Star a head butt, before knocking her away with his wing. She slid next to Mio.

"Don't worry, Mio," she whispered, panting. "We'll defeat him."

The light spirit did not respond.

"I'll show you that your little attempts to destroy me are USELESS!" spat Raem in rage.

Lia, Garrett, and Nieta all ran forward, spears and sword in hand. Raem drew back, preparing to hit them, when he felt something hit his head. Wincing at the blow, he looked around wildly. Where had it come from?

Then he felt another blow, and he turned sharply. Mika had come closer, and she was hitting his golden head with aura blasts from her racket. She had a clever smirk on her face. Raem was about to deal with her, but the wounds he received from Nieta, Lianora, and Garrett simultaneously knocked that thought out of his brain. With a shriek of pain, he looked down to see their weapons in his stomach, Garrett already ripping his out. Raem rushed forward, knocking them all away. He felt another projectile strike his skull, and he let out a snarl of rage. The two claws on Raem's arms fired a blue laser at the ground. At once, an enormous explosion occurred, sending Mika flying backwards.

"MIKA!" screamed Star. The Selkie did not get up.

Lianora rushed over to her, before feeling her wrist for a pulse.

"She's alive! Just unconscious!" confirmed the female Yuke, using a cure spell as she spoke. Garrett let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm keeping my promise, Ray…you asshole," he murmured quietly. Then he glared back at Raem.

Raem was panting heavily. He was weak…their memories were truly powerful enough to defeat him. Raem felt a wild fear at the thought. No! He couldn't let that happen. Star dashed forward, but Raem used the same explosion as before to knock her aside, hitting Nieta as well. Sam felt his blood boil. That was it. It was time to end this. Sam ran forward, before hopping on Raem's wing.

"That won't work twice, you fool!" screamed Raem in rage, waving his arm to knock Sam off. Sam soared through the air, helpless, as Raem charged up his lasers. Lia, who was watching, held her breath in horror. Sam would be hit directly by the explosion!

But even as Raem released his lasers, Sam refused to give in. Twisting his body, he flew through the two lasers before stabbing Raem in the chest with his father's sword.

Everyone stared. Sam gritted his teeth, driving the blade deeper into Raem's body. Raem let out a horrible cry, writhing and shaking. He wiggled his body until Sam fell off. Garrett and Nieta helped up their Clavat leader, before rushing him away. Lia used a Cure spell on him as he arrived (she had been healing the others while Sam attacked Raem).

Raem's body glowed with a golden light. A purple mist emitted from him as he shrieked in agony. He was writhing, shuddering, and twitching. He glared at Tipa gang with hatred.

"You…," he rasped, his voice growing weaker every moment. "How could runts like you…fell the great Raem?"

Sam was about to answer, but he was silenced as Lady Mio began to stir. She pushed her body up and looked at her evil counterpart.

"Raem…," she said quietly. "Though the miasma may fade away, you will not perish with it."

"Wait…so even if we get rid of miasma, this guy would still be alive?" asked Garrett incredulously. "All of the stuff he's done and he'll SURVIVE?"

"Hush, Garrett!" said Star quietly. Garrett gave her a mutinous glare, but didn't argue. Nieta laid an arm on his shoulder, and he sighed.

"So please…believe me," said Mio, calmly gazing at the evil being.

Raem was silent. Then, his arms shot forward, glowing with dark energy. Lady Mio let out a cry of shock as a purple barrier surrounded her body.

"I don't think he's listening!" said Sam.

"Then I'll hurt him some more!" snarled Garrett.

"Let Lady Mio go!" cried Star.

"Mio!" shouted Raem, desperate and fearful. "I don't want to fade!"

"But…she just told you that you wouldn't fade!" protested Nieta.

"I will not fade!" continued Raem, as if he hadn't heard them. "Even if I must possess you! Mio…don't…let…me…fade…"

And with those words, both Raem and Lady Mio vanished.

"What's going on?" asked Sam, looking around wildly.

Mika groaned, rubbing her head. "Stop shouting," she complained, coming back into consciousness. "What's happened? Have we won yet?"

"Well, we almost did," said Nieta. "But…I think Raem's taken control of Lady Mio!"

"What?" asked Mika, confused. But her question wasn't answered as they heard a shattering noise. Sam began to see a white light.

"Not this again," moaned Garrett, as his vision became blank. But the light continued to come in, and soon, Sam couldn't see anything at all. The Tipa Caravan were blinded by the light…

**000**

Sam's eyes opened, although he had never remembered shutting them. Star and Lianora were leaning over him.

"Good," said Lianora. "Now only Nieta has to wake up."

Sam blinked. He saw Mika stretching and looking around, while Garrett looked annoyed.

"I am really getting sick of us being teleported everywhere," he grunted. "First we're in our memories, then a dark world, and now we're in the sky!"

"The…sky?" asked Nieta vaguely, getting up.

Star nodded, and waved a hand.

It was true; they were standing in what seemed to be the sky. Above them were a bunch of white clouds, and below them were also clouds. However, the caravanners could also see patches of land through the clouds. It almost looked as if they were above the world…but…they had to still be in the Nest of Memories, right? Because if they had been transported back, wouldn't they still be in Mount Vellenge? Unless they had left the memory realm and returned to a world…or at least the SKY of a world.

"Wow," said Star. "It's beautiful isn't it."

"It would be if we weren't in this situation," said Mika, frowning.

"I agree," said Lianora. "We need to find out what happened to Raem and Lady Mio."

"So we're still in the Nest of Memories?" asked Sam.

"I guess," said Lianora, shrugging. "I really don't know where we are, but maybe if we can find Mio and Raem, we can get sent back…"

"If they're here," grunted Garrett.

"Instead of looking at the downsides, let's go looking for those two," said Star, nodding.

They all looked around. Mika saw it first.

"Guys, there's some blue thing over there!" said Mika.

"Some blue thing?" asked Sam. Mika jerked her head over. She was right…there was no other way to really describe it.

"Mio's energy was blue," said Lianora. "Perhaps she's there, waiting for us."

"Or perhaps Raem's possessed her and he's trying to trick us," argued Nieta. "We should be cautious."

"Well, it may be our only way out of here," said Sam. He began to walk forward, gesturing for the others to follow him. "Come on. We're not going to be able to find out anything if we don't go…"

Sam led the way, walking slowly to make sure they didn't walk straight into an ambush. Garrett and Nieta exchanged a look before following him. Star, Mika, and Lia followed him without question. Time seemed to slow as they walked forward, but as they grew closer to whatever the large blue thing was, Sam threw out his arm to stop them. Bluish smoke was appearing in the air, whirling and swirling all around. Within the smoke glowed a bright light.

"Who is it?" shouted Lianora, shielding her eyes from the blast. "Mio or Raem?"

"I don't know!" said Star. "I can't see!"

Soon, the smoke cleared, and a large golden pattern appeared in the air. Sam felt confused. He felt Raem's energy, but also Mio's…

What was going on?

Sam watched, in horrified fascination, as an enormous creature emerged from the golden design. It was enormous, bigger than Raem, and its body was made up of blue and silver colors. It somewhat resembled a sword in appearance. There was a single, long spike stick out from the bottom, and coiled around it was a tentacle that appeared to be made of azure crystals. On the end of the tentacle was an enormous claw. The upper part of the monster was also silver, but with golden parts here or there. It had two large silver arms that had two claws on them. Two large wings were on top of its silver back, and there was a shiny blue ring at the top of its form. In the center of its upper body was a patch of red skin, where a turquoise gem glowed brightly.

When the thing spoke, Sam had to suppress a shudder. It spoke not with the voice of Raem, but the voices of Raem and Mio combined as one.

"I am Memiroa," it said. "I will never fade!"

Sam gulped. It was time for the real final battle.

A large bubble appeared out of nowhere, but Sam clutched his head as it happened. Several bubbles followed. Sam felt as if memories were pouring out of his head. The tentacle shook and the bubbles began to grow closer to it. There was an image in the bubble. Sam stared. It was his parents standing in the bubble.

"What the heck?" asked Garrett. "Why do I see the Iron Giant in a bubble?"

"I see Tida!" piped up Nieta.

Lianora gasped. "Those must be our memories! That thing is trying to eat them!"

"There are six bubbles," said Mika, counting them quickly. "One for each of us. We need to figure this out fast, guys! The more memories it eats, the stronger it gets…and the weaker we get!"

"Lia!" commanded Sam.

"Already on it!" said Lianora. Closing her eyes (and trying to ignore the fact that her grandfather was slowly drifting away in that bubble), she focuses, muttering under her breath. With a loud shout, she cast a holy spell on the bubble.

No effect.

"Drat!" said Lianora. Then her eyes widened as Memiroa's tentacle shot a beam at her. Lianora was knocked backwards.

"Lia!" shouted Star. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine- just focus on the memories!"

"Gravity's not working either!" growled Mika.

Star frowned. They needed to figure this out quick. One of the bubbles was getting strangely close to the tentacle's maw.

Star desperately cast a cure spell, before being hit back by a shot from the tentacle.

Nieta gasped. The bubble that Star had cast (which she was guessing, by the image of an old Selkie, was Mika's) had vanished! A pink orb emerged from thin air. Nieta glanced around. No one else had seen it. Garrett, meanwhile, had ran forward and began attacking the tentacle, determined to not let it swallow any of their memories.

Nieta dashed forward, dodging another attack from Memiroa, which hit Sam. Nieta grabbed the pink orb and ran to Lianora, who had been running forward with her sword.

"Lia! Tell me what this is!" asked Nieta. Lianora took the orb in her hand. She felt an enormous burst of magical energy emitting from it.

"Where did you get this?" she asked hurriedly. Nieta began to explain quickly.

At that moment, Mika let out an angry cry. The Selkie had just witnessed Garrett being knocked away, and Memiroa swallowed a bubble. Star straightened up.

"I-I!" said Star. "I think I've forgotten something!"

"What was in that bubble?" demanded Sam to Mika.

"I…I think it was a big red thing," said Mika uncertainly.

"Big and red," muttered Sam. "Sounds like a monster…maybe the Orc King…but either way, we can't keep letting this happen!"

The large clawed tentacle began to suck in air, not unlike the Cave Worm of Selepation Cave. The bubbles drew closer, and another one vanished. Garrett shook his head, as if something was bothering him. He felt as if something had slipped away. He looked around. He still recognized all of his friends. He was good…for now.

"There must be some way to stop this thing!" said Star desperately, before she was blasted away by the giant monster.

"Everyone, listen!" yelled Lianora. She ran forward, holding the pink orb high. Summoning her magical power, an enormous thunder blast struck Memiroa with full force. The monster shook, before firing another laser, although it missed.

"We've found the answer to defeating Memiroa!" claimed Nieta. "You need to use Cure on your memories!"

"Cure?" asked Garrett.

"Yes! Once you do that, I don't what happens, but…an orb appears, with highly magical properties," explained Lianora. "It allows you to perform any spell!"

"Any spell?" asked Garrett, dodging the tentacle, which tried to swallow HIM whole.

"Yes!" said the Yuke, nodding vigorously. "Even you can use this, Garrett. And I believe that using excessively powerful magic on this thing may defeat it! We may have a chance!"

Sam closed his eyes. He released his energy into a cure spell onto the bubble with his parents, which vanished instantly, only for a pink orb to appear out of it. Sam held the orb in his hand, using his strength to summon a magic attack.

To his surprise, a large green blast appeared. But Memiroa took no damage, and hit him with a powerful laser. Yet, Sam wasn't feeling much pain.

"Sam, that was a Curaga spell!" explained Lianora hurriedly, making one of her bubbles vanish. "That's useful for us! Come on, everyone, keep going!"

And now the final battle had really begun. Sam felt hope rise in his heart. They could do this…it would be dangerous, but…_they could do this!_

However, as he was thinking this, he witnessed two memories being swallowed by Memiroa. One was Tristan- Sam didn't know who that belonged to- and the other was Veo Lu Sluice. Veo Lu Sluice…

Garrett jumped forward, casting cure on a memory of three Selkies, which he was guessing belonged to Mika (as he recognized Lan, Taka, and Kar in the bubble). He grabbed the magicite orb and ran forward, but stopped, feeling doubtful.

"What if I can't do this?" he asked Lianora. "What if I don't have the strength to do this? I can't do magic!"

At that moment, he heard a loud scream. The tentacle had swatted Nieta away and she flew backwards, into Lia's waiting arms. Lia healed her, and stared at Garrett.

"You need to find the strength if you don't want her to get hurt," she said seriously. Garrett opened his mouth to respond, but shook his head, dashing towards Memiroa. Memiroa dropped one of its clawed arms from above. Garrett was struck by the blast.

"Garrett!" yelled Lia. Perhaps encouraging Garrett had been a fatal error.

But her fears were proven to be meaningless, when Garrett emerged from under the arm. He spit out a mouthful of blood, before standing upright. Memiroa's tentacle looked ready to lash out, but Star appeared and hit it with a Blizzaga attack. Memiroa shuddered and twitched in pain, before lashing out to gobble a memory.

Sam stared as a memory of Moschet Manor disappeared. Moschet Manor…wait, what was that place?

Garrett struggled, gripping the pink orb in his hand tightly. He needed to be able to overcome his horrible magic skills. He needed to protect his friends…himself…Nieta…

Growling angrily, he tried with all of his might. To his enormous astonishment, a great fiery blast struck Memiroa, causing it to flinch away from him.

"You did it!" shouted Nieta. "I knew you could."

Garrett still look dumbfounded. But before he could recover himself, Mika cried out.

"Look!" cried the Selkie. Memiroa's enormous tentacle-claw shuddered and wriggled, before falling off completely.

"Now it can't eat anymore of our memories!" said Star.

But despite the fact that its ability to devour memories was gone, Memiroa was far from defeated. It lowered its body down to face the caravan. Its green gem glowed brightly. Memiroa was still strong. Raem knew deep down that he would not fade yet.

Memiroa's arms shot a large purple blast. Most of the caravanners dodged it, but it skimmed Star. Star let out a painful scream as she was sent flying backwards.

"STAR!" yelled Sam. He tried to run over, but Garrett pulled him back.

"Sam, you idiot, watch out!" roared the Lilty, pulling Sam out of the way of a second blast.

"I'll distract it!" said Nieta, running forward. She struck the monster's body, but nothing happened.

"Nieta, aim for the gem…that must be its weak point if it's so heavily guarded!" advised Lia, as she ran forward and slashed at the eye. But as soon as she did so, Memiroa fired a purple beam directly at the Yuke.

"NO, LIA!" said Nieta. Star had been skimmed, but the Yuke had taken the blast head on. Lianora's body sailed through the air gracefully, before hitting the ground far away.

"No," croaked Garrett.

Mika, however, was too busy casting cure spells. Just because Memiroa's claw was gone didn't mean that the memory bubbles had stopped appearing. Just to be safe, she wasn't letting him get any memories.

Memiroa prepared to charge up an attack at Nieta, who was running towards the fallen Lia, when it was hit by a great Firaga attack. Nieta stared in shock as Lianora got to her feet.

"Lia? You're…you're alive?" asked Nieta. "But how?"

"I had a Phoenix Down," explained Lianora. "I was simply testing the strength of that beam. Everyone, avoid that at all costs. A skim will hurt enough, but a direct hit means death. If you've got Phoenix Down's, equip them."

Garrett frowned. "What's a Phoenix Down? It sounds familiar, but…"

Lia shook her head. Garrett had forgotten what a Phoenix Down was…Memiroa must've ate a memory of the Lilty's. That wasn't good…what if they all forgot how to use cure spells?

Sam, meanwhile, had helped Star up. "Are you alright?" he whispered, still afraid she might just fall over.

"Don't worry…a skim isn't lethal," she assured him, smiling. "Come…let us finish this."

But as soon as she said that, Memiroa's gem shined brightly and a large black beam hit Mika away from attacking Raem and Mio. Memiroa drew another bubble closer into it, and it vanished. Mika struggled to get up, but once she saw a memory bubble floating near Memiroa, she got right to her feet; she saw Ray smirking inside the bubble. A rage like no other rose in Mika- she wouldn't let THAT be stolen.

"You…will…NOT take THAT away from me!" she roared, casting a cure spell. She grabbed the magicite as the bubble disappeared (she felt herself grow more calm as she realized her memories of Ray were safe). Growling, she summoned the magical energy. But nothing happened!

Mika felt confused. "Lia, do you know-"

Mika gasped as a barrier surrounded her. "What's going on?" she yelled, afraid.

"I don't know!" said Lianora, freaking out as she avoided another killing blast from the silvery monster. Memiroa drew in someone's memory of the Lizardman King…most like Sam or Star's.

"LOOK OUT, MIKA!" shouted Garrett, as Memiroa's arms began to glow. The monster fired his dual lasers straight at the Selkie.

"Shit!" swore Garrett. "I promised Ray!"

But when the blast cleared, Mika was still standing, the barrier still around her.

Lianora was awestruck. "Amazing," she whispered. "I believe I know what that is, Mika…I think it's…an invincibility spell."

"You mean…I can't be hurt?" asked Mika.

"Yes, Mika!" said Star urgently. "Quick! Attack Memiroa while he can't hurt you!"

"Oh, right!" shouted Mika, jumping forward and grabbing a pink orb. Summoning her powers, she cast a Thundaga spell on Memiroa.

"I mustn't fade…," said Memiroa, his voice sounding less intense and powerful. "No…"

He launched his black beam into Lianora. The Yuke slid backwards and fell over.

"I can't move!" she yelled. Nieta ran over to heal her.

"Thanks," said Lianora, getting up.

Sam gritted his teeth as Memiroa swallowed up a memory of Armstrong…they needed to end this soon!

Sam cured his own memory of the Antlion (he had felt it slipping away), and grabbed the magicite. He saw the barrier glowing around him. Without any hesitation, he began to pummel at Memiroa's gem eye. Memiroa's body shook in pain, and Sam thought he heard both Raem and Mio crying out together. The thought made him slightly nauseous, imagining what Lady Mio was going through right now, but he pushed it away. This needed to end!

But he felt his invincibility wear off. Memiroa raised itself once more and a new claw appeared as Sam scurried away. But now that they had caught onto his game, it only took a Blizzaga spell, an invincible Garrett, and a Firaga spell to get rid of the tentacle once more.

"No…," hissed Memiroa. "I refuse to let this happen!"

Memiroa knocked Sam away with the large dual pink lasers, but Sam had packed a Phoenix Down and took the hit. However, Memiroa swallowed two more memories as he did so, one being the Black Knight. Star ran close, but she only managed to get a Curaga spell (which was good for everyone else, make no mistake) after she saved a memory and took a pink orb.

Garrett ran forward, his face an angry snarl, but he had to retreat as Memiroa charged a black beam at him. Mika avoided a laser barrage after she was caught striking Memiroa from afar. Nieta ran forward, looking horrified and scared, but also determined. However, Memiroa fired the pink lasers at her. Nieta let out a gasp of agony as she flew backwards. She didn't get up.

"NIETA!" roared Garrett, turning to run to her.

"Garrett, she could have a Phoenix Down!" cried Lianora. "We need to focus on Memiroa!"

Garrett glared at her. "Go over and examine her. I'll handle this damn monster!"

Garrett ran forward as Memiroa finished gobbling up a third memory. He ran forward and began to stab Memiroa's eye furiously.

"GAH!" it yelled, hitting him away with a black beam. However, instructed by Lia, Garrett had a Phoenix Down- even though he didn't know what the heck a Phoenix Down was.

Memiroa was growing sluggish. Sam had just saved someone's memory and took the pink sphere. He smiled, despite the tense situation, as he felt invincibility course through him. But when he saw the memory Memiroa was about to eat, he froze. Star waved at him in the bubble…although it was her memory, not her. The real Star was being healed up by Nieta…

If Raem ate that memory, Sam would lose the one thing he cared about most. No!

Sam gripped his father's sword tightly before running forward. Memiroa charge up his pink laser beams, but Sam was too fast.

"NO!" yelled the Clavat, shoving his sword straight into Memiroa's green gem. Memiroa stopped moving, and Mika, quick as a flash, saved the memory of Star with a cure spell.

Memiroa's motionless body began to quiver…it was shuddering, jerking, shaking as if it was having a fit. The massive creature slowly rose into the air, still shaking violently. The four remaining conscious caravanners (as both Nieta and Star were not awake) watched in awe.

Memiroa's body glowed brightly. It was shimmering, glowing, glittering. Black energy was flowing out from the monster as it continued to tremble violently. Memiroa's body then exploded in bright flash.

Even though the sound of the explosion was deafening, Sam still managed to here Raem's voice…and only Raem's voice.

"Not…yet! Not…"

And then the light cleared. Sam and the others (minus Nieta and Star) were all standing. They all stared upwards, as if they couldn't believe it.

Raem was gone. Defeated.

They had won.

Sam's legs collapsed under him, as he felt the exhaustion of the battle hit him. They were victorious, but…how were they going to return home.

"Sam!" whispered Mika. "Look!"

There was yet another flash of light, although this one was smaller, and Lady Mio's body appeared, lying down as if injured.

Lia made to go over and look, limping. Garrett looked down at Nieta.

"Leave her for a moment," said Lia softly. She could understand his concern- Nieta's heartbeat was so faint, Lianora wasn't sure it was there at all.

Sam was staggering as quickly as he could over to Lady Mio. Mika was close behind him, while Garrett and Lianora followed.

When Mio spoke, her voice was weak. Sam remembered (and he did in fact REMEMBER, despite all of the memories that had been lost during the battle) that Raem and Mio had been combined…so when they destroyed Raem, they had also…

"Now we can defeat the meteor parasite," whispered Lady Mio quietly. "At long last…the world can return to its proper course! It is…all thanks to you…thank you Tipa caravan…and especially you Sam…I knew, even when I saw you first in the Nest of Memories, all grown up…that I had made a fine choice…"

"Mio," whispered Mika. Sam said nothing, just stared at the spirit in front of him. True, if it weren't for Mio, Sam may not have even been destined for this in the first place, but…he realized that if given the same choices, he'd probably choose the same path.

"You have all treaded a hard path…but you all have had the courage to continue travelling down that road…you truly are a brilliant caravan," continued the memory spirit. Her body began to sparkle with a bright light.

"Mio, what's happening?" asked Garrett, staring wide eyed at her.

"Raem and I…will sleep for a time," answered Mio calmly. "But, worry not…someday, if you continue to spin memories…we will be reborn…and there will be no miasma to corrupt Raem…"

"I have one last request. I want you to remember…remember me from time to time."

"O keepers of the crystal…," she whispered, fading away. "Thank you. It is now time for you to return to your world and finish the fight you started."

Mio's body then vanished. In her place was a crystal. And as Sam stared at the location where Mio had once lain, the crystal glowed. Sam felt a tugging sensation, as if he were being pulled from somewhere.

And then…

…nothing.

**000**

Sam's eyes shot open. He shook his head groggily. Had all of that just happened?

He looked around. They were back at Mount Vellenge. Worried, he looked around to see if everyone else was there. He let out a sigh of relief. Star and Nieta were both unconscious on the ground, but he could faintly see her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Garrett, Lia, and Mika were all standing, but Garrett fell over unconscious as soon as he opened his eyes. Sam let out a gasp.

"He's exhausted," whispered Lianora. "Sam…the parasite…"

Sam turned to see the Meteor Parasite. It was still alive…but only just…its body was drooping…it looked tired, defeated. Its tentacle eye was on the ground, but the thing no longer had the strength to move it. It was just as weak as it was before Raem sucked them into the realm of memories. Nearby, Sam saw, was an unconscious Mog…he must've either fallen asleep waiting for them, or was knocked out by the blast.

It seemed as though not a second had passed through this world, despite the long time they had been within the Nest of Memories.

"Sam…it's weak," said Lianora, dropping to her knees. Meanwhile, exhaustion struck Mika and her legs crumpled, falling over. "Finish it," said Lia, lying down and closing her eyes.

Sam immediately wanted to lie down and sleep, but he couldn't…what if the parasite recovered? That wouldn't be good. Sam clutched his head. Memiroa had eaten a few of his memories, but he knew all of the important ones were still there.

The Clavat leader staggered forward, sword in hand. Silently, without a word, he stabbed the eye.

The eye rose, trembling, as if the parasite had come alive once more. But in this case, it was quite the opposite. The entire body of the massive monster trembled, and Sam saw minor explosions occurring all along the monster. White sparkles and purple miasma mist flowed off from the dying creature's body as it perished.

But Sam did not see this. As soon as he saw the monster dying, Sam had finally succumbed to his tiredness. He fell over, and shut his eyes.

**000**

Wow…just wow…

Favorite Parts: I can't pick one. Just saying.

I can't believe I've gotten this far. Getting up to 50-60 chapters is one thing. Doing the final boss chapter is another…

And so Raem was defeated, but Lady Mio perished with him as well. It was that bittersweet victory…

I hope I did good with the final battle. I almost split it up, but we've had too many splits lately. And also, this is the longest chapter so far, with more words than the Leuda chapter! Sorry if it took so long to upload, because I've been a busy man (not to mention the length of the chapter- if I had split it, you would've had a new chapter earlier). But I digress…I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations, everyone! But the story isn't over yet. Not yet!

I changed the battle with Memiroa a little bit. Y'know, I find both battles to be really easy, in all honesty. Raem's attacks are easy to avoid, and with Memiroa, all you need is cure, really…not difficult. But for the sake of making the story seem more epic, I made him stronger. But now it's time for the next chapter segment…

Next Chapter: The world notices a change around them, with the death of the Meteor Parasite. They no longer sense the miasma…is it actually gone? Meanwhile, with the Tipa caravan, is all as well as it should be. Sam wakes up, remembering that they have won, but at what cost?

Raem: Review…muahahahaha!


	85. Garrett's Lament

Well, here we are again, with another chapter! Although, most people may guess that my evil plots aren't over yet.

It's time to find out what really happened after the battle! And wow…this is a pretty short author's note. Now that I'm past the final battle, the rest of the story will be easy!

So…here we go…

**000**

When the Meteor Parasite finally died, the entire world knew. While Sam and the others had succumbed to their tiredness after the battle, everyone felt as if something had changed.

Glittering miasma had radiated off of the massive, dying creature. All of its miasma stored within its body burst forth and floated into the already miasma-tainted air.

From the center of Mount Vellenge, a large white beam blasted into the sky. And so began a new beginning.

**000**

The Marr's Pass caravan was walking along, waving to the Fum caravan. It was fairly late at night, but it was always good to see another caravan. Caravanners could really only compare themselves to other caravanners.

"It is good to see you, friends," said Sheila, smiling.

"Yeah, although you caught us at a good time," admitted one of the Lilties, yawning. "We were about to set up camp. It's so late out."

"I know what you mean," said another Clavat, staring at the skies. He gasped loudly.

"What is it?" asked one of his friends, looking at him in bewilderment.

"What's…that?"

The caravanner pointed at the sky, where a bright white light was rippling across the sky.

"Has something happened?" asked one of the Lilties.

A second Lilty perked up. "Hey…I can't sense the miasma anymore!"

One of the Clavats snorted. "That's absurd. We've been living with miasma for years. It's not just going to randomly disappear. You're probably just so used to it, you don't notice it anymore."

But the Lilty was adamant. He hopped off of his carriage and ran outside the crystal barrier. The others waited for him to feel the pain and leap back into the border. But the Lilty did not.

"It's gone, guys! It's really gone!" he announced, grinning widely.

"No way!" said the Clavat, stepping out of the barrier. The others held their breath.

The Clavat looked around in astonishment. "It's no joke," he whispered. "IT REALLY IS GONE! WE'RE FREE!"

The two caravans began to cheer loudly, as everyone embraced each other in their joy.

**000**

"Boss!" yelled a moogle. Bal Dat sighed, opening his eyes.

"What is it?" he grumbled irritably. "I was having a great dream about us sitting on a large sack of cash after robbing some-"

"Boss!" said Artemicion. "It's gone! It's finally gone!"

"What's gone?" asked Bal Dat, rolling his eyes.

"The miasma!" said Artemicion. "I can sense it because I'm a moogle. But I can't sense it anymore!"

The Selkie's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"No joke!" yelled the striped moogle. "Take off your crystal and see!"

Bal Dat hesitated, before removing the portable crystal around his neck. If this was some cruel joke, he was going to strangle that little furball. But as he removed his necklace, the thief breathed in deeply. The air was clear…pure…fresh…

"Artie! You're right! There's no more miasma! Let's go celebrate!"

"Celebrate how?"

"We'll steal some guy's wallet and buy ourselves a feast!"

"YEAH!"

**000**

In Tida, two skeletons were sharpening their weapons. While Armstrong's magic brought them to life, even after he perished, the undead warriors remained. None of them had known that Armstrong allowed the myrrh tree to be taken by those worthy of it.

"Oy, Anatmee," said the first skeleton.

"What do you want, Daed?" asked the second skeleton.

"What's that bright light?" asked the first. The other skeleton looked up to see a bright light shooting into the sky.

"No…," breathed the skeleton. "No way…the miasma…it's been conquered!"

"You mean," whispered the other skeleton. "You mean, after all of this time…"

"Yes, my friend," said the second. "We can finally return to our graves, knowing that the world- and Tida- is safe once more."

**000**

The golem sat motionless, guarding his post. He sat very still. All of a sudden, he heard a noise.

"Scanning for source of sound…processing information…," said the golem. He looked up into the sky to see the blast of light.

"Forgetting search for noise. Noticing bright light…no longer sensing miasma…world is safe…golem can stop defending the tree."

With those words, the golem's green orb fell out of his head, and he fell apart. Now that the miasma had been vanquished, no one would come for the myrrh tree again. The robotic guardian had done his job.

**000**

"Jack, whatever is that racket?" asked Maggie tiredly, rolling over in their bed.

Jack groaned. "It's probably the Tonberries. I'll go shut them up."

Rubbing his eyes so he could see, the Gigas Lord clumsily moved through the room and exited into the courtyard. As he expected, he saw all of his chefs staring at the sky, jabbering quickly to one another.

"Stupid pests!" growled Jack Moschet. "I pay you to cook, not to keep me up at night! Why the hell are you all making such a big fuss?"

"Mr. Moschet!" said a brave Tonberry, while most of the others cowered at the manor owner's rage. "Look into the sky!"

Jack squinted. Some bright pillar was in the sky. "A big light? You all started to chat about some GIANT LIGHT?"

"It's m-more than that, sire," said a Tonberry. "The miasma is gone!"

Jack's jaw dropped. He had been so tired that he hadn't noticed the lack of miasma in the air. This was bad. Monsters NEEDED miasma to survive…

The Tonberries echoed his thoughts aloud. "What'll we do now? Are we going to leave? We're all going to die anyway."

"You'll do no such thing!" snarled Jack angrily. "Return to your posts, you little rats. I'm going back to bed."

Jack slammed the door and slid back in his bed. With the disappearance of miasma…he and Maggie would be lucky to still be alive in the morning.

"Is everything okay, Jack?" murmured Maggie.

Jack sighed. "Everything's fine, Maggie," he said gruffly. So that little caravan pulled it off? Jack was impressed. He closed his eyes for what may be the last time.

**000**

All of the little kids in Tipa had urged their parents outside. Soon enough, the entire town was staring at the bright light. Soon, the light actually began to fly across the world in one huge ripple.

"What does it mean?" asked Mika's mother to Roland.

The elderly Clavat let out a gasp. "It means…that the miasma has been conquered…it has returned to the sky from whence the meteor came."

Lia's father was shocked beyond all belief.

"In the name of myrrh," he whispered. "They did it!"

**000**

Rex was walking along, think of his next scheme. He took in a breath, expecting the pungent taste of miasma (a portable crystal was useful, but not as strong as a crystal chalice). What he DIDN'T expect was for the air to be clear…crystal clear.

Rex looked up as a light shined down on him. He saw a great barrier rippling across the sky. It was as if the miasma had been destroyed!

"Heh…I hope that sword came in handy, Star," he said with a dry chuckle. "And I bet that somewhere, you've got something to do with this."

He stretched briefly, pocketed his portable crystal, and continued walking. "This'll make scheming more difficult…miasma and myrrh were excellent moneymakers…but I'll come up with a new moneymaking plan soon enough."

He let out a loud cackle.

**000**

All around, the world was cheering…nearly everyone had noticed the unannounced phenomenon going on around them. The ones who hadn't found out were to be told soon. Princess Fiona had ordered all of the soldiers of Alfitaria to carry out the news, while some were staying to guard the great city, in case it was a trick. Children were playing happily. Parents embraced each other and drank, kissed, and cheered with the children. From the farmers in Fum to the pickpockets in Leuda, everyone was celebrating the downfall of the miasma's cruel reign.

The carbuncle stood alone in Mag Mell.

"So they succeeded, Lady Mio," said the carbuncle. "It is just as you wished. I have helped them."

He stepped into his cocoon. "Now I may sleep in peace, knowing that the world is safe."

**000**

Later on, after the light had finally died, Sam's eyes fluttered open. He squinted. After all that he had been through that day, it seemed like nothing was real anymore. Had it all been a dream? No…it had definitely been more than that…but still.

Sam shook himself and looked up. He gasped as he saw a familiar figure looking down at him. It was a Yuke, and that helm was unmistakable.

"Creston!" said Sam, his eyes wide with shock. "Is that you?"

"The very same," responded the Yuke.

"But…wait…if I'm with you…does that mean I'm DEAD?" asked Sam in wonder.

Creston let out a warm chuckle. "Dead, Sam? On the contrary, I think not."

A moment later, Lianora's face appeared over him. Sam could sense the happiness radiating off of her.

"You're alive, Sam, and so are Ray and Creston," she said, her voice delighted. "Everyone's awake except Star, Nieta, and Mika, who's coming around now. Everyone survived, Sam!"

Sam pulled himself into a sitting position. And it was true. Garrett was watching Nieta anxiously, while Lianora and Creston were holding him up. The Lilty turned his head and gave Sam a quick nod, before his eyes returned to Nieta. Ray was petting Mog on the head, until he noticed Sam awake. He was missing his bandanna, but he grinned when he saw Sam.

"Oh, hi Sam," he said, laughing. Sam noticed many scars and such on his body. Those two may have survived, but they had definitely been in a tough fight. Creston laid an arm on his shoulder. Sam gasped. Up until now, he hadn't noticed, but Creston had lost an arm. Where there was once a left, feathery arm was now a stub that looked as if it had been wrapped up in cloth to prevent the bleeding.

"Creston, what-," began Sam, but Creston waved an arm to silence him.

"Needless to say, it was a rough fight," answered the Yuke. "I lost an arm not too long ago- Ray gave me his bandanna to tie it over my wound to stop the bleeding.

"It's red, anyways," piped up Ray. "It's not like it'll stain it."

"But…but how did you two survive?" asked Sam in wonder.

Ray chuckled deviously. "Remember what the carbuncle said? We all got some extra miasma tolerance from visiting Mag Mell. He also said that I could survive in the miasma for DAYS without a cure spell. It was more of the monsters we were worried about than the miasma itself. Besides, it's only been a couple of hours…"

"And thankfully, Ray had a cure ring," added in Creston, helping Sam to his feet. "And we had plenty of Phoenix Downs, thanks to his pickpocketing…and we had enough striped apples to keep our strength up."

"We weren't going to sacrifice ourselves if we didn't think we'd live," said Ray, snickering. "Sam, I'm a selfish Selkie. You should've expected something like this from me."

The Clavat rolled his eyes. Same old Ray.

"I don't care how you survived," said Lianora, shaking her head as she embraced Creston. "I'm just so happy you did."

Creston wrapping his arms around her. "I am as well."

At that moment, Mika finally stopped squirming as her eyes shot open.

"Guys, what happened?" she asked, stretching. "I remember the parasite, and Raem, and Mio, and-"

"Slow down, beautiful," said Ray, walking over to her. Mika's jaw dropped as Ray came before her.

"Ray…you…are you alive?" she whispered.

"As alive as you are," he said, winking. Mika was silent, before she smacked him across the face.

Creston, Lia, and Sam all flinched.

Ray rubbed the side of his face, grimacing in pain.

"Don't you ever do anything like that to me AGAIN!" screamed Mika, shaking him. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Okay, okay, I get it! Calm down!" cried Ray. Mika stopped shaking him, before grabbing him by the hair and pulling him in for a long kiss.

"Mood swings…," said Creston, shaking his head. "They occur even when your lover returns from the dead."

"I think Mika and her tongue don't really care about mood swings right now," said Lia teasingly.

Sam glanced over at Garrett who had been quiet so far. He was looking anxious.

"Are you sure she's alright?" he blurted out.

"Garrett, relax," said Creston. "Lia checked her, and I checked her. Both Nieta and Star are alive. They're simply breathing softly."

"Do you know what happened inside the memory realm?" asked Sam.

Ray shook his head, pulling away from Mika for a moment. "Lia insisted that we should wait for everyone to wake up first," the Selkie explained. Moments later, he and Mika were connected at the mouth again.

"No foreplay in the presence of us, please," said Creston, chuckling. Mika shot him a dirty look, but laughed a moment later.

"Unh…Sam?"

Sam felt as if all of his energy had returned when he heard Star's voice. Getting to his feet, he crawled over to his soon-to-be-bride. She smiled up at him.

"We did it Sam," she whispered. "The miasma's been vanquished. And now we can get married."

"You popped the question before you slept with her?" asked Ray curiously.

Creston sighed. "I almost wish I HAD died…Ray, must you be so-"

"Curious?"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Creston, you and I just survived an enormous onslaught of monsters."

Creston was silenced.

"Wait…what happened to the monsters when the miasma vanished?" asked Mika.

"They ran off in fear…then we found the meteor and eventually came here," explained Ray. "Since Creston is a genius, he was able to find the center easily…and with no monsters, it was even easier than I thought it would be."

"Star," whispered Sam. "Do you remember everything?"

Star frowned. "Not everything," she admitted. "I think some of our early memories of being in the caravan are gone. There are a few blank patches in my brain here and there, but for the most part, I remember you, our friends, my family…all of the important things."

"How about you, Mika?" asked Ray. "Remember everything okay?"

"I have the feeling I forgot something," said Mika, frowning. "It was like…some girl I didn't like…like, a queen or something…and she had something to do with you…"

Ray gulped as he remembered how she reacted to Princess Fiona.

"Oh well, you remember everything else. Let's not worry about that."

"Nieta's stirring," announced Lianora. Garrett, who had been pacing restlessly, turned and jogged over. Nieta sat up slowly and opened her eyes.

"Huh? Lia?" she asked. She swung her head around. "Sam, Star, Mika! You're okay! And…is that Creston and Ray? Even they survived?"

"Of course, what did you expect," bragged Ray. Creston rolled his eyes behind his helm.

"Wow! Mog is still here, too!" said Nieta excitedly. Her eyes flashed from person to person. Garrett smiled at her, and her eyes eventually locked onto him. She frowned for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling.

"Hi there!" she said. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Nieta. Who are you?"

Garrett's smile froze on his face. No…he hadn't heard her right…either that, or she was joking around.

Nieta smiled. "Well, come on…tell me your name!"

Garrett was REALLY worried now. "G-garrett," he said. "Come on, don't you remember me?"

Nieta frowned. "Nope. I've never met you before."

Silence. Garrett heard, but he didn't believe.

"Oh, Garrett," whispered Lia softly. Star gasped as Sam gripped her hand. Ray and Mika had separated from their tongue wrestling and stared in shock.

Garrett blinked, backing away slowly as if he still couldn't believe it. Then he turned and walked away slowly.

"Garrett," began Lia. "Come back-"

"I want to be alone," he said, his voice gruff.

"But-"

But as the Yuke tried to protest, Garrett started running. He had no idea where the exit of the meteor was, but he'd rather get lost in the meteor than be here…anywhere but here. He ran as fast as he could…now that there was no miasma, he could go anywhere he wanted…and right now, he wanted to run away from the reality and truth that was staring him in the face.

Nieta was gone…

No…she wasn't gone. She was alive. And she remembered everything.

Everything but him.

Nieta glanced from Creston, who was feeling grave, to Star, who looked horrified.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to him?" she asked.

**000**

They had won, but the loss of Nieta's most important memories made it seem like a hollow victory. Creston had analyzed her brain, memories, and other parts. Apparently, she remembered nearly everything about their journey as a group, but all memories of Garrett had been devoured by Raem. Creston had sadly told the others that there was nothing he could do- such things were out of his power.

Sam and Star had tried contacting the carbuncles…but they were all asleep. Creston bitterly pointed out that it probably wouldn't matter, as the carbuncles had no control of memories or Raem. This led to Mika snapping on him before being so pessimistic. She apologized later, but it only proved that the situation was truly that bad.

The worst part was that Nieta remembered them all perfectly. After they had returned to Mag Mell to nurse their injuries (and relax after Raem's and the miasma's downfall), Nieta conversed with Mika about the trip through Mount Vellenge, and she even remembered how Ray and Creston gave themselves up to save the others. She would reflect on older experiences, such as when she was young, the journey to Tida, and the huge battle at Daemon's Court that the Tipa caravan had almost perished in. The one thing (as far as they could tell) she had truly forgotten was the thing she loved most of all.

If they had though Nieta was bad, Garrett was much worse. He was hardly ever seen throughout the days. The only ones who could even get close to him were Lia and Ray. Garrett had lost all of his emotion- his voice was flat, his eyes were unseeing, and he would barely speak. Lia had noticed he was eating less, and Ray noticed black bags around his eyes, as if the Lilty hadn't been sleeping.

Lia was currently watching him. The male Lilty was simply staring at the sky. However, he didn't look at peace- he looked sad, sick, and almost lifeless.

Lia sighed before returning to Creston- while his wounds from Mount Vellenge had been easily healed by Creston, she could think of no cure for his broken heart.

**000**

Later on, it was dark. Sam and Star had both gone to bed, as well as Nieta and Mika. Garrett was staring at Nieta, his eyes still blank and staring. Ray looked across the fire at him, and was reminded of how he had acted when Dah Zul had been killed. Garrett, who had been nibbling absently at a loaf of bannock, through the bread into the campfire they had set up and walked away.

Lia got to her feet. "I'll go get him-"

"No," said Creston.

"Creston, I know you don't care for him, but he needs someone right now!"

"I'll handle it," said the Yuke, standing up.

"Creston," said Ray awkwardly. "Don't you think it might be better for someone OTHER than Garrett's mortal enemy to talk to him?"

Creston sighed. "Lia has tried to sugarcoat it and soothe him. That's not going to work. As for you, Ray, you've tried to direct his attention away from the problem, which was a good idea, but is obviously not working. I'm going to try this time."

"You're still his mortal rival," pointed out Ray.

"Perhaps he needs a rival more than a friend," countered Creston, standing up and walking after the Lilty.

"I suppose we should let him try," admitted Lia.

"I guess," said Ray, shrugging. "I'm turning in. G'night."

"Good night. I'll wait for Creston."

**000**

Garrett was walking out of Mag Mell. Creston reminded himself that there was no more miasma, so that was not really unusual. Still, it wouldn't be good to have Garrett wandering around alone at night…especially if there were still some monsters lurking around.

"Hey, Garrett," called the Yuke, striding after him. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," said Garrett. "Anywhere but here."

Creston snorted. "Exactly. That's what you call running away. Sam told me out that little speech you gave to him…about him being a coward, running away from his responsibilities."

Garrett was silent, but he stopped walking away.

"Well, guess what?" asked Creston. "That's what you're doing right now. The exact same thing. You're being a hypocrite. You're being…a coward."

Garrett flinched, and turned around to face Creston. Creston noticed the blue blaze returning to his eyes. Even though an angry Garrett was not usually a welcome sight, it was a more welcome sight than this melancholy shadow that had taken his place.

"Walking away won't change reality," said Creston. "Running off won't make Nieta's memory come back. Abandoning her is no way to make her love and remember you again."

"Shut up," said Garrett- quietly, but threateningly.

"What's the matter?" asked Creston, not to be silenced. "First you don't want to see what's happened to the girl you loved, and now you don't want to listen to reason?"

"I said SHUT UP!" snarled Garrett, gnashing his teeth.

"Well, guess what, Garrett? Get over it! Face reality!" hissed Creston fiercely.

Garrett let out a roar of frustration before punching a rock near him.

"IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!" he shouted. "YOU GOT THE FAIRY TALE ENDING! EVERYTHING TURNED OUT PERFECT FOR YOU!"

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" asked Creston. Despite the way the situation looked, Creston was already sure Garrett was starting to return to normal- well, if angry could be counted as normal.

"OH PLEASE!" yelled Garrett, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "Look at Sam and Star! They walk the perfect path- never getting separated, never apart, always happy! And then you and Ray coming back from the fucking DEAD to return to your lovers! And what happens to me?"

Tears were streaming down his face as he punched another rock. His knuckles were bleeding, but he didn't know…or care.

"The one thing I love most remembers everything EXCEPT ME!" he said, bitterness in every word. "Why is that, Creston? Why am I the only one that gets the sad ending? Why am I the only one that lost EVERYTHING? GO ON, TELL ME! YOU'RE THE SMART ONE! TELL ME!"

Garrett finally grew exhausted from all of his screaming. He flopped down onto a boulder, breathing heavily. Creston walked over and sat beside him, placing a gentle hand on Garrett's shoulder. It was a rare moment where the two rivals shared a moment of peace. Garrett's body wracked as the Lilty sobbed into his lap.

"Garrett…you haven't lost everything," said Creston quietly.

"Oh, really Creston? Because I think I have."

"She's still alive, Garrett."

Garrett gave him a pissed off look.

"I know that, asshole. But guess what? We're overlooking the tiny detail that she doesn't even remember me…not one thing!"

"But she's still alive," repeated Creston. "You saved her…you saved everything except her memory…you've kept her safe."

"Not that she'll ever know," hissed Garrett.

Creston looked at the sky. "I know how you feel. I lost my mother when my father killed her…and I blamed myself for it. But I had to face the fact that it wasn't my fault…and it made me stronger."

The Yuke looked towards Garrett. "And while you may feel it's your fault for not guarding her more carefully, you should remember that some things are fated to happen. Look at Sam- he was always fated to follow his father's footsteps."

Garrett was silent, but he looked more thoughtful than sad.

"You're her unknown savior," said Creston. "And when I say face reality, I mean move on. Not necessarily from Nieta- but let your guilt die. It couldn't have been avoided. So let it go."

Garrett sighed. The tears had stopped falling, but his eyes were still red and puffy.

"What do I do, Creston?" he asked, his voice soft. "What do I do now?"

Creston looked back at him.

"Her memory may not be gone forever," said the Yuke. Garrett's head shot up, and he looked at Creston.

"What are you-"

"The Black Knight lost his memory," stated Creston. "But right before he died, he regained it. So if he managed to do it…maybe there's hope for her yet. Time is one of the greatest healer of wounds, both physical and those to the heart."

"So…there's a chance?" asked Garrett. Creston nodded.

"That's what I believe. Continue to care for her, Garrett. Perhaps one day your hard work will pay off and she'll remember you once more. Now come on, get back to the fire. It's fairly cold, and you should get some sleep; we're leaving tomorrow to head back to home, and you ought to be awake when everyone congratulates us."

With that, the Yuke walked away. Garrett sighed. He looked at the stars, as if he was asking them what to do. Could Creston be right? Was there any hope for him?

Not while he was doing nothing. Garrett got up and headed back to the fire. The pain was still there, but it had been lessened somewhat. Instead, there was determination. He'd never give up. He'd find a way to get her memory back. He wouldn't stop until he was dead.

Garrett arrived back at the fire. Creston was already asleep. Lia was the only one awake.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I've been better," responded the Lilty. "I'll stay up for a little while longer, keeping watch."

"Garrett, the monsters and miasma are gone," said Lia. "There's no reason to-"

"We don't know that for sure," said Garrett, shrugging. "Get some rest. I'm not sleepy yet."

"Alright," said Lianora uncertainly. Creston had told her the problem had been handled, but was that true? Staring at him, Garrett definitely seemed to be looking better. He looked as if he had some life back in him, and there was something about him she just couldn't place.

"If you need anything, feel free to wake me."

"Understood."

Lianora yawned, realizing how tired she was, and fell asleep a few minutes after laying down. Garrett stared at the fire, before glancing at Nieta. She was smiling, as if she was having a pleasant dream. Garrett smiled fondly, before it disappeared. Would she ever smile at him like that again?

"Perhaps…," he said. "Someday…"

With a sigh, Garrett put out the fire. He got in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

He'd just have to wait and see.

**000**

And so we are finished.

Favorite Parts: I love this chapter entirely. But the best part is Creston and Garrett's talk.

So, for starters, everyone has seen that the miasma is in fact GONE! Caravanners, cities, Rex…

On the subject of Rex, yes I have finally CONFIRMED that Rex gave Star Excalibur. I'm not saying why. That'll be in "From Caravanner to Criminal: Rex's Story."

Okay. Time to face the music now. Yes, Creston and Ray survived. Now before I get accused of not having the guts to kill off a character, I will explain why they lived. For starters, Ray was never going to die. He's had too many close calls…I just don't think his death would've gone well…it just doesn't work out in my mind. Now, for Creston…here we go…

My readers, here is my apology. In all honesty, it was my intent to kill off Creston in the final battle with Memiroa. After they had won, Creston was going to die, and Lia was going to be revealed as pregnant with his baby. Now, a long time ago (around the time I wrote The Rise of Selstun, or a little after) I wrote out the death scene- I believed that I would chicken out when the time came, so I did it ahead of time. I wrote the scene of his death, his funeral, his last words, and a little poem that reflected Creston's death. I usually don't think highly of my work, but this was AMAZING for me. It was totally perfect in every way.

Enter a writer's worst nightmare. The laptop that had all of this saved on it CRASHED. Bam. Broken. And that amazing part of the story was wiped away. And when I tried to rewrite it, I couldn't do it. Nothing I wrote could match the first copy. So instead of murdering Creston, I wiped Nieta's memory. I really am sorry for this, and I wish the end could've gone a little differently. So I sort of took Creston's arm for compensation. I hope you all understand why Creston wasn't killed.

Also, I will submit a newer version of "Creston's Farewell", which will be a deleted chapter after the story is over.

Moving on…yes…Nieta lost her memory…well, not all of it. The most important memories she had: the ones that belong to Garrett. At first, I considered killing off Nieta, but I didn't because I figured that it would be more tragic to have her remember everyone else EXCEPT the one she loved most of all. So Garrett has to watch her every day, living her life normally, but not remembering their love.

This chapter made me love Garrett's character more than ever before. I believe that Garrett was always one of the strongest characters, in both emotion and physical strength. But I think this chapter shows the warm heart under his gruff exterior, and how fragile he really is. Basically, this was a great chapter for Garrett, and it really shows how much Nieta means to him (a LOT). He's sad, but he's got hope- and maybe one day, Nieta will truly remember him.

Well, that's about it. Really long author's note. Too long. Anyways, next chapter time!

Next Chapter: Wait…since both Sam and Star survived…yep! It's wedding time! As the miasma has finally died, our two Clavats get married! But is that all that's going on at the wedding? Wait and see!

And please review. From me.


	86. The Wedding: A New Beginning

Well…here we are…I know I've been saying that we're getting close to the end…but now we are LEGIT AT THE END! Welcome, my faithful readers, to the penultimate chapter- that's right, only one more after this!

And guess what we have? Yep, Sam and Star are getting married! But of course, since this story has been focusing on them so much, we're going to give some of the other characters some spotlight as well, aren't we?

Anyways, I'll just answer a few things:

First of all, Creston DID lose an arm, Musa, because the almighty gods refused to let me kill him off (that, and my laptop takes sick pride in messing up my work).

Rex DID give Star the sword, but you think that he CARES about her? Well, we'll see…after all, Rex's story will be revealed soon…and he may make another appearance or cameo.

As for Senom, yes, you may celebrate Ray and Creston's return (even though Creston cheated- HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE). As for Garrett and Nieta…they didn't seem to act like they were close (they didn't kiss in public often, and they were chill around each other). However, when Nieta lost her memory, it really showed how much Garrett loves her. And Garrett deserves some credit- he's a nice guy, deep down. As for the Yukes…I don't know…I mean, I guess they can bleed…maybe…or maybe Creston DIDN'T bleed (after all, Ray's bandanna is red- blood wouldn't make it look any different).

But now that that is out of the way, we can get on with this chapter!

**000**

Getting home wasn't as easy as Sam had thought.

They had run into multiple parties. Many people had been found waiting for them in the Rebena Plains. Apparently, after the miasma had faded, Gurdy had revealed the location of the Abyss to all, travelling from town to town. He told everyone that a brave caravan from Tipa had ventured into the Abyss, and into the heart of miasma, to destroy the foul substance once and for all. For once, everyone believed him. That being said, a group of caravanners decided to go and wait for the Tipa caravan to exit the Abyss. And after that…well…

The world was like one huge party. All four tribes were running across the world, where the miasma had once been, cheering and screaming in delight. The Tipa caravan were all literally carried from town to town. They were stuck in a nonstop festival for three days at the Fields of Fum (which probably continued even after they left). Tristan let them cross the river free of charge, saying that they could go anywhere at any time for no charge at all (Ray and Mika both let out whoops of joy at this statement). After that, they got sucked into another festival at Marr's Pass.

Star smiled at the memory. They had had to sneak out of the town in the middle of the night, when most people were resting. And even then, they had almost been seen by the few people that were awake (and by Mog almost blowing their cover by sneezing). While they enjoyed all of the festivals…Star knew that everyone just wanted to go home. They crossed into the Tipa peninsula, happily aware of the fact that the miasma stream disappeared along with the miasma. They passed Port Tipa, and the old path of River Belle. Staring at the old road, where there adventures first began, they felt as if the world had truly changed. At first, the area seemed foreboding. Now it seemed calm and peaceful…beautiful.

But if the parties of the other cities and towns were considered big, then there was no words to describe the celebration that awaited them at home. Gurdy's tales of the Tipa caravan's bravery had even reached home. Of course, Lia's father had revealed all after the miasma had truly disappeared, but that was beside the point. The families of Garrett, Star, Sam, and Mika had all prepared an enormous feast for their returning caravan. Creston and Ray experimented to make pyrotechnics that exploded in the air (which Ray dubbed "fireworks", because it sounded cool). Their families were ecstatic, not only because that the miasma was destroyed, but because everyone turned out alright. They were simply happy to see their beloved children returning home. Sam's foster parents didn't care that Sam wasn't their actual son- they embraced him and said how proud they were of him. Mika's mom and brother both almost cracked Mika's ribs with their hugs. And while Ray and Creston had no parents left, they were still welcomed by all with warmth and delight.

Of course, it wasn't perfect. Garrett, although he was starting to recover, had to tell both his parents and Nieta's parents about Nieta forgetting him. It was a sad situation- while Lianora had offered to tell the families in his place, Garrett insisted it was something HE had to do.

But other than that, the festival of Tipa was the most enjoyable. But as the moon rose and the stars twinkled in the night, the town grew tired, the caravan most of all. Everyone settled to sleep, as the caravanners had received a letter from Princess Fiona, asking them to come and visit Alfitaria and tell their story to the townspeople.

**000**

During the night of the festival, the only one who couldn't sleep was Garrett. He got out of his bed and stepped out of his house. Though it was dark, the light of the moon showed the path clearly. He walked along the path, past Mika's house and past the center of town, where the crystal no longer glowed with the myrrh it no longer needed. Garrett continued walking until he reached the cliff overlooking the sea- this was a place where Garrett would often come when he had troubles. Ever since he had moved here, this was the one place Garrett was truly peaceful…except for with Nieta.

But that wasn't possible anymore. He'd simply be haunted by the guilt of losing her. He took a deep breath. Creston was right, though. It really wasn't his fault…and he knew it…he would just have to accept it.

Garrett pulled a spear off of his back. It wasn't Longinus. It was his original spear…the one he had had at the beginning of his adventure…the one he lent to Nieta…the one he fought Nieta with…

Nieta…

Garrett closed his eyes. They were screwed up tight, but the tears didn't fall. He stabbed his spear into the ground on the edge of the cliff.

"Goodbye, Nieta," he whispered. "I'll only take this spear out when your memory comes back…"

With a heavy sigh, he turned around and headed home.

**000**

The festivities were endless. They went from Tipa, to Marr's Pass, to Alfitaria, to Shella, to Alfitaria AGAIN, then to the Fields of Fum, then Marr's Pass, Alfitaria AGAIN, and so on. It was a little embarrassing. Although some, like Ray, took it in a stride (although if girls were caught swooning over him, Mika would give them evil glares). Creston, on the other hand, took a great joy in people watching, make snarky comments

"And here we have a cheering middle-aged man, so happy that he has food all over his face," said Creston, while Ray snickered. "And over there, a swooning female girl who is facing Mika's impending wrath. And just behind that old Yuke, could that really be a little boy who wet himself in excitement?"

These comments stopped after Lianora sternly told him that it was rude to mock the people celebrating their success, and that they shouldn't let their status as heroes make them snobbish. Creston became quiet. Ray was heard to have coughed "whipped" under his breath.

But throughout all of the festivals and parties and travelling, Star felt as if she was forgetting something. Of course, seeing that nearly all of them (minus Ray and Creston) lost some memories in the final battle with Memiroa, that wasn't necessarily surprising. However, unlike those memories, which Star couldn't even remember AT ALL, Star knew this memory was actually there. She continued to frown in thought throughout their travelling from city to city. Sam looked concerned when Star told him of these moments, but she assured him it wasn't anything tragic.

But one day, when she glimpsed Ray and Mika kissing each other in an alleyway of Alfitaria (why they were in an alley, Star didn't know), she gasped in realization as it hit her.

She ran through Alfitaria looking around for Sam. She finally found the Clavat, giving a small Lilty boy an autograph.

"SAM! SAM!" she shouted. Sam dropped his little paper.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked, worried. "Not monsters, right?"

"No, of course not, nothing like that," said Star.

"What is it?"

"We've forgotten the wedding!"

"Oh! You're right!"

**000**

"So, they're finally getting on with it?" asked Garrett, looking around.

"Whatever…let's just get this whole thing over with," grumbled Ray crossly.

It was a beautiful and sunny day, about two months later after Sam and Star remembered the wedding. Yes, it took them THAT long to plan it (this amused most of the others, with Ray saying that it could be expected, seeing as they apparently hadn't slept with each other yet- he was promptly smacked by Mika). They had decided to have the ceremony performed in Tipa, although many other cities protested (after all, what town wouldn't want to be the wedding place of two of the heroes of the world?), but Sam and Star both said that they felt a connection to this place more than any other. They almost decided on Mag Mell, but they decided to leave the carbuncles to sleep in peace.

It wasn't a particularly large gathering, surprisingly. Sam and Star hadn't announced to the public when it was going to take place. But it was taking place today, and that was that…besides, if they told everyone when it was, they'd have far too many guests…imagine the food that would've been required.

Garrett shrugged. "Have you seen Creston? We can't do this without him."

Garrett was dressed nicely for the occasion, wearing a light, cream colored dress shirt. He had black pants with suspenders on, and some black boots made by Nieta's family for the occasion. He looked very civil and…normal, unlike the usual warrior who would walk around with blood staining his armor and spear.

"How should I know where the Yuke is?" asked Ray, rolling his eyes. "I'm not really a part of the ceremony."

Ray, unlike Garrett, was dressed in rather messy looking clothes. His pants were black, but slightly baggy due to the lack of a belt. He had a grey vest with black checkers on them, and a white shirt on under it. Both of articles of clothing were ruffled and wrinkled. He had on an eye patch, as he wanted to look good for the occasion, and he wasn't wearing his bandanna, although the red tip was sticking out of his pocket, just in case he had the urge to put it on in the middle of the ceremony. Creston had argued with him on this fact, saying that the bandanna was impolite, but Ray responded that it was Sam's decision, not Creston's. Sam said Ray could do as he pleased.

Although… there was a reason why Sam submitted to Ray. Sam had made Garrett his best man instead of Ray, and since Creston was acting as the bonding Sam and Star together, he too was a part of the ceremony. The reason for Garrett being chosen was because Sam wanted to show Garrett that he was still important to the rest of the caravan, even though Nieta forgot him. It made Garrett feel better, but Ray was outraged.

"Oh come on!" the Selkie had raved. "Can't he be the ring bearer?"

"Mog's the ring bearer," Sam had responded sheepishly.

"Why can't I be the ring guy?"

"Mog asked first."

Unlike Ray, Mika had been made the Maid of Honor, and Lia was given the job as the flower girl (Star insisted on spreading flowers to the world- Garrett had snorted had the time). Ray and Nieta were the only ones stuck without a job- Nieta hadn't received a job because she was allergic to the types of flowers in the bouquets selected for the occasion (a rather smooth excuse for which Creston took credit for). The actual reason was that Sam didn't want Nieta and Garrett both standing at the altar, with Garrett remembering that he and Nieta wouldn't get married now.

"Well…we need Creston," muttered Ray in annoyance. "He'd better get his feathery butt over here. All of the families are here. We need to start soon."

"Have you seen the others, kupo?" asked Mog, floating up. He had on a snazzy little bow tie, but that was it. "Where's Cres-"

"We don't know," interrupted Garrett. "Find him, will you?"

"Got it."

"Do you think the girls are having such a hard time?" asked Garrett, turn to face Ray.

"Probably not…"

**000**

"Where's my veil?" shrieked Star, looking around. "I can't find it!"

"Calm down, Star, we still have time!" urged Lia pleadingly. "According to Mog, Creston hasn't even shown up yet."

"All right," said Star, sighing. "But we need to find it NOW!"

"Yes…yes I know."

Lianora hadn't gone completely crazy- Yukes weren't known to get very dressy. However, she had on a nice sea green gown that suited her nicely. Her helm had a flower attached to it that was of a similar color.

Nieta poked her head into the room. "How is it going in there?"

Lianora gave her a look that said "Guess". Nieta cringed and stuck her head back out.

The youngest caravanner was dressed in a simple purple dress with straps, and she had tied up her hair in a more ceremonial way, rather than letting her sprout leaves hang down. She had on a pair of shoes that apparently belonged to her mother from her noble days. She hardly resembled the caravanner that she was today, instead looking like the upper class female she almost became. Despite her dislike of the clothes, she claimed they would be fine for one day only. Garrett had refused to look at her unless he couldn't avoid it- even when she didn't love him, she was still beautiful.

Mika snorted when Nieta gave her an awestruck look. "Oh yeah, Star's become bride-zilla, alright."

Mika's outfit was probably the most stunning of the caravanners (minus Star). She had on an electric blue dress with a split in it, showing off her legs (Ray apparently supported this outfit of choice). It was strapless and showed off the Selkie's curves. She was also wearing black heeled boots, which she said were necessary to keep Ray well behaved.

"I can't imagine myself becoming like that for my wedding," said Nieta.

"Well, hopefully you won't. But it would be pretty funny…what if this happened to Lia? A psycho Yuke would be kind of entertaining…"

Lia stuck her head out.

"I heard that," she said tartly. "Go and tell Garrett and Creston that we're just about ready, okay?"

"Okay then. It's about time."

**000**

"Come on, Creston, get on with it," groaned Ray.

"Where the heck is he?" asked Garrett.

"Right behind you."

Garrett jumped and turned to face the Yuke. He was dressed in a dark grey suit that looked plain and simple, but rather stylish at the same time. He was holding a large book in his feathery hand, and his helmet looked as if it had been polished recently. Garrett was wondering how the heck the Yuke had gotten dressed, seeing as he lacked an arm. For the occasion, the other sleeve of his outfit was left on his outfit, even though he lacked an arm to fill it- it made the Yuke look more normal, anyways.

"About freaking time!" hissed Garrett. "Where have you been?"

"Helping Sam," said Creston. "He's freaking out, and messing up his vows…"

"Will he be okay?" asked the Lilty.

"He'll be fine once we get started," said Creston. "But in that room…dear lord, he couldn't even buckle his belt properly."

"Did you do it for him-"

"No."

"Well, get up there!" hissed Ray. "I'll get Sam."

The Selkie dashed off. Creston sighed, before walking up to the base of the crystal where Sam and Star had decided to get married. A place where they could look at the azure depths and remember everything they had done up to that point. Creston twirled the book in his hand (his mother, Alyra, had the book in her old book shelf, making Creston wonder if she had ever wedded two people together). Ray soon returned, and flashed Creston a thumbs up. It was time to begin.

"Ladies and gentleman, would you be so kind as to quiet down?" asked Creston, remembering to be polite. The residents of Tipa smiled at him and were silent.

Mog floated down the aisle, before floating midair next to Creston. Lianora came next, tossing flowers somewhat lazily. Creston tried not to be distracted by her, but she did look rather pretty in that gown. After her came Mika and Garrett, side by side, walking up and settling on either side of Creston. Ray winked at Mika, who winked back. Garrett just smiled.

Sam walked up by himself nervously (his mother was supposed to walk him up, but she had twisted her ankle recently, and Sam told her to rest). He was wearing a simple brown vest over a white shirt, and some dark brown pants with matching shoes. He had on a brown leather belt that was buckled (Ray snickered as he saw it; Sam gave him a curious look), and a corsage on his chest. His bangs were combed out of the way of his eyes so he could see. He arrived at the makeshift altar and gave Creston a smile.

"Is she coming?" he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Just wait and see," said Mika reassuringly.

"Here she comes now, Sam," said Garrett, tapping Sam's arm. Sam turned and stared.

Star was being escorted down the "aisle" by her father. She was dressed in a large dress that was green and white with gold trim (Clavats usually dressed in earthy colors for formal engagements- Sam had chosen brown, so Star chose green). She had apparently found her white veil, which was on her hair, and over her face, which was blushing nervously. Sam was pretty sure he was blushing, too. He had always thought she was beautiful, but this time her beauty was…stunning.

Ray made a wolf whistle, but Nieta smacked his arm. Star reached the end of the aisle where her father left her as he took his seat.

"Well, then…I asked Sam if he wanted this completely traditional," said Creston lightly. "But he said since they had broken so many traditions before, what was one more?"

There was laughter from the assembled families.

"So instead of boring you all half to death with some long reading about marriage, I might as well tell the story of these two lovebirds in front of me today. I met them both a long time ago, and ever since then, well…before their lips were all over each other, their eyes were all over each other."

Both Sam and Star blushed even harder. Garrett and Ray were snickering. Mika had a smile on her face, as if she was trying not to laugh.

"When they first got together…I said 'About time', to be perfectly honest," continued Creston. "At first, it seemed like a shallow romance, but as time went on…their feelings grew more intense, more deep, more loving…and while I'm not one for romantics, that sounds like true love to me."

"These two have been through so much together. They have been in danger, even in life or death situations- and I would know, I was there. But through it all…they've never fallen apart. They've always had hope. They've always had determination, bravery…and each other. And for these reasons, I am honored to be the one wedding these two people together."

Everyone clapped in the audience as Creston finished his speech. Star wiped her eyes. Creston had almost said everything that she had wanted to say.

"Now then, Mog…hand them the rings…," said Creston.

Mog flew over and gave each Clavat their rings.

"Sam, you first," said Creston. "Recite your vows, and anything else you feel like saying."

Sam took a deep breath and held up his ring. He had taken some leaves and had gotten Nieta to take them and turn them into a ring. After that, Lianora had offered to dip them in gold, making the ring look more beautiful. Star gasped.

"Star…you're the most beautiful, kind, and caring person I know. All throughout our journeys together, even before we were a couple, you were the heart of the caravan. You were always willing to help out anyone, even if we didn't know them that well. And I must admit, at times, I thought I didn't deserve you."

"But now…after being with you, and fighting with you, and changing the world with you by my side. I don't think I don't deserve you. I KNOW I don't," said Sam. "But…if you'll have me…I promise…I'll never leave you. Nothing will tear us apart. I'll be there for you, I'll always help you, and I'll always love you. So, please…accept this ring."

There was a chorus of "aw's" from the audience, led by Lia and Nieta. Ray let out a cheer as Sam slipped the ring on Star's finger.

"All corniness aside," said Creston, and the audience tittered again. "Star…it's your turn."

Star had gone for a different style. She had taken a lock of her hair, and she asked Nieta to weave it into a ring for her. Thankfully, Nieta hadn't lost her touch or memories of weaving, and she made a beautiful ring easily. After that, Star had attached flower petals to the ring, before Lianora had dipped it in gold as well (how the two girls had managed to hide each ring from the others, they had no idea).

She held up the ring and gave Sam a nervous smile.

"Sam…when I first met you…I didn't know you that well. But even though I didn't know you, I wanted to. That, I was sure of."

"Oh boy," muttered Mog, shaking his head. Tears were getting ready to fall. "No way, kupo!"

"There was something about you that just made me like you, ever since day one. You were always so nice and kind and sweet…I think it was inevitable that I had fallen for you."

"And when we finally got together, I felt as if I hadn't done anything to deserve YOU, Sam. I felt as if I was just lucky that you took an interest. But when I think about it now, I realize that you never did anything to deserve me, and vice versa. Because we don't need to do anything to deserve each other. Because we know that the other person will understand that we haven't done anything, and they won't care. Because that's what true love is, Sam."

Mog started sniffling loudly. Lia patted him consolingly.

"Sam, I love you. I could say it a thousand times, and still wouldn't be enough. But, even though I can't express my feelings for you enough…I want you to have this ring, and my love."

Star put the ring on Sam's finger. There was a chorus of applause.

"Now to my favorite part," said Creston. "Sam, do you take Star to be your beautiful, wedded wife, in sickness and health, until death do you part, no matter how many time she annoys you, burns dinner, or forgets to wash the dirty clothes."

Sam smiled, and held back a laugh. Leave it to Creston to ruin the serious moment. "I do."

"And Star," said Creston, turning to the female Clavat. "Do you take Sam to be your handsome, wedded husband, in sickness and health, until death do you part, no matter how bad his morning breath is, or how many times he forgets to do the chores, or doesn't fold his clothes?"

Star nodded. "I think we'll manage, Creston. I do."

"Then, by the power bestowed upon me by both of you," said Creston grandly, trying to be dramatic (and succeeding),"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Well, Sam, I know this hasn't stopped you before, but you may NOW kiss the bride."

Rolling his eyes, Sam stepped forward, wrapped his arms around his beloved, and kissed her softly on the lips. It was a little wet. She was crying under that veil.

"WOO HOO!" shouted Ray, and his cheer was followed by an enormous applause. Sam and Star broke apart and waved to everyone. Mika snapped her fingers and a band came out and began to play a slow song.

"Shall the newlyweds have their first dance?" asked Creston. Sam took Star's hand and led her to the base of the crystal. Everyone else sat down and watched as Sam and Star revolved on the spot. The sun was shining directly on the crystal, creating a beautiful light.

"So it's finally happened," said Creston to Lia and Garrett.

"I still can't believe they forgot," said Lianora, shaking her head.

"Just don't forget ours, whenever we get around to planning it," teased Creston.

"Yeah…I dare you to have Ray as your priest, Creston," said Garrett, snickering.

"Not a chance."

Garrett got up and stretched. "I'm taking a walk. No one will miss for a few minutes, right?"

"Not at all. But where are you going."

"Just gotta do something."

With that, the stout Lilty got up from his chair and walked in the direction of the cliff side that overlooked the sea.

"What do you think he does up there?" whispered Lia.

"I think he just wants to get away for a little bit. This whole thing was be hurting him, even if he doesn't show it."

Everyone continued to watch as Star and Sam continued to dance.

"Well, there they go again," said Ray, sighing as he watched the two. He peeled off his eye patch, as it was making him sweat. He tied on his bandanna as well. "Right back in the spotlight."

Mika had settled beside him. "What do you mean?"

Ray nodded towards the two. "Those two always get the attention. Sam, the courageous leader, and his faithful maiden, Star. Mark my words, when our adventures get turned into a story, they'll be the main characters. They get all of the attention."

Mika laughed. "Are you just mad that you didn't get to be in the ceremony?"

"I'm not mad! I mean, it just wouldn't kill for us to get some attention to us. Take the spotlight off them for a moment and focus on us."

Mika paused hesitantly. "Well…if it's any consolation…I think we'll be getting attention soon."

Ray arched a brow. "Oh, really? Why is that?"

"Remember that night…only about a week after the miasma was destroyed?"

"Yeah…we went on forever that time," said Ray, remembering the way he and Mika had "celebrated". "Why?"

"Let's just say, there's something more to that night," said Mika.

"Wait…what are you talking about?" asked Ray, confused.

Mika gave him a small smile. "I'm pregnant."

Ray's jaw dropped, but then his eyes lit up- both of them, as even the blind eye seemed to glow a tiny bit. "No way."

"Yes," said Mika. "I figured it was finally time to tell you."

"I'm…I'm gonna be a dad?" asked Ray. Mika nodded.

"Hell yes!" shouted Ray. He picked her up. "C'mon!"

"Wait…where are we going?"

"To have another celebration, duh!"

Creston perked up as he saw Ray and Mika running away from the area, down in the direction of Ray's house.

"Where are they going?" asked the Yuke.

"I've learned not to ask," said Lianora. She was still watching Sam and Star.

"That'll be us one day," said Creston.

"Yeah…"

They were both silent.

"I'm so happy that you're still here, Creston."

"Me too, Lia. Me too."

**000**

Garrett sighed, looking at the little memorial grave he put here. While he didn't want to ruin Sam and Star's moment, he couldn't help but be a little bit envious.

"Nieta, are you out there?" asked Garrett, not referring to the Nieta here today- he was talking about HIS Nieta…the one that had disappeared. "Look…Sam and Star are happy…I'm kind of sorry that I didn't propose to you sooner…maybe we could've gotten married before that whole thing at Mount Vellenge happened."

In truth, Garrett had planned to marry Nieta when they both came back from Mount Vellenge- unfortunately, Nieta hadn't come back fully. Garrett sighed, looking at the grave that symbolized the death of his and Nieta's love.

"Hey there!"

Garrett jumped when he heard Nieta's voice. Was she here? Then he turned around to see Nieta walking up to him, smiling. No…he had gotten his hopes up for nothing.

"I saw you walking away from the celebration. Garrett, right? Why'd you leave?" chirped the Lilty female. Garrett shook his head. She still had trouble remembering his name, even after the others told it to her.

"I just needed some fresh air…it was getting a bit stuffy down there…," lied Garrett.

Nieta looked past him to see the memorial.

"It's a grave, right?" she asked, her smile being replaced by a thoughtful look. "Did somebody die?"

"Yeah, somebody died…someone really important to me…seeing Sam and Star getting married reminded me of her, so I decided to pay a visit."

"I'm sorry you lost such an important person," said Nieta. Garrett sighed. This had been the first time he and Nieta had spoken alone together for a long time.

"It's not so bad…in all honesty, I can reflect on the happy times we've had- we had a lot of good memories together," said Garrett, looking at the spear stabbed in the ground. "I only wish we had more time…if I hadn't been such an idiot, we could've had ages…"

"You must have really loved her," said Nieta.

"Yeah…," whispered Garrett quietly. Then he shook himself off, as if some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "C'mon…we ought to get back before somebody misses us."

"Alright…," said Nieta, unsure. "Are you sure you're feeling alright."

"I'm fine," said Garrett, giving her a small smile, which she returned after a moment.

If there was one thing that their entire lives had proven, it was that nothing lasted forever. Even the miasma, which had been around for centuries, had faded. Garrett figured that it was time to stop reflecting on the past. Now, he just had to move forward. And what would come would come, in time.

**000**

"Where DO you think those two ran off too?" asked Star, as she and Sam drew closer to the end of their dance.

"I can never tell with those Selkies," said Sam, smiling. "But let's not focus on them…after all, it's OUR special day."

"You're right," said Star, giggling. "We finally did it…"

"Yeah, to think I'm a married man…," joked Sam.

"No, not that," said Star. "We actually succeeded Sam…we've saved the world…"

"You're right…," said Sam. "No more battling or gathering myrrh."

Star frowned. "To be honest, I've been a caravanner for so long, I don't know what else to do now that the miasma has disappeared."

Sam laughed. "There's always the honeymoon."

Star laughed as well. "That's true. We have all of the time in the world to make up for all those years we've been battling monsters."

"Well then…here's to a new beginning," said Sam, holding her close.

"Yes…we've got a lot of time to kill…"

"As soon as this wedding is over, let's get started."

**000**

Wow…there goes the penultimate chapter. I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter…it came out a bit better than I expected.

Favorite Parts: Everything before and after the wedding scene. I liked the anxiety before the wedding, and all of the mini conversations during Sam and Star's dance. I loved the scenes with Garrett and Nieta, and Mika and Ray the most, though.

So…let's get started with some explanations. For the wedding, I didn't want it to be a super duper traditional wedding, so I made Creston jazz the thing up a little bit (I almost had Roland act as the one bonding Sam and Star together, as originally planned, but since Creston wound up living, I felt like I should let him do something). Formal clothes were really hard to come up with, as I didn't really know what they'd wear in that time period. I think I did okay, though. I didn't want to go with the traditional white dresses and black suits, so I gave the Clavat's an "earthy color" scheme.

Onto characters. Creston made me laugh a lot, but he and Lianora had their good moments in this chapter…soon they'll be hopping on the marriage wagon.

Now for the Selkies. Wow...Ray's a father! Or at least going to be one. I figured that I'd have to knock up Mika eventually. I almost had her realize she was pregnant before going to Mount Vellenge, but I think her revealing it during the wedding is great. I also love Ray's ironic statement- that when their adventures were turned into a story, Sam and Star would be the main characters. Hmmm…what story could that be?

I loved the Lilties in this chapter, especially Garrett. The scene between him and Nieta makes me happy and sad, because while it came out so well, Nieta doesn't realize Garrett is actually talking about her. But Garrett really isn't too depressed by the end of this chapter…he's returning to normal. As he thought, nothing lasts forever.

And finally, the Clavats. I liked them a bit in this chapter, and while I don't like gushy romance, I found myself liking the way they said their vows in the ceremony, Star in particular. I guess I finally have to admit that while the Clavats aren't my favorites, they've both grown on me.

And so, my readers, we have one more chapter left! The final chapter is near!

Next Chapter: It's been ten years since the wedding of Sam and Star. What are the caravanners doing now?


	87. The Golden Age Returns

And so this is it…I can't even believe it. But this is it.

Welcome, my loyal readers, to the final chapter…and this is LITERALLY the final chapter. And I guess you could call it the epilogue, too.

I'm sorry that this took so long, but I wanted to get the ending just right, and I've also been busy. I know that isn't really an excuse, but it's the truth.

It's been ten years since the miasma disappeared. What are the caravanners doing now? Well, now you can find out! So I hope you enjoy this last chapter of my story…

It's time to finally finish the tale.

**000**

"Give that back, Zan!"

"Make me, Jack! Although, if you gave me some cash, I might let you have it."

"No way! That sword is mine!"

Zan Rak stopped, and looked back at his Clavat friend, smirking.

"Sword? It's just a wooden board that you made pointy at the end."

Jack stopped, panting. He was the spitting image of his father, Sam. He had long brown hair, brown eyes, and even wore white and red clothes that looked similar to his father. Of all of Sam and Star's children, he looked the most like Sam.

"So what? My dad said it's a real sword- and he started out with a wooden sword."

"And let me guess," said Zan, laughing. "He saved the world using a piece of wood?"

Jack glared at him. "No, he used a sword that belonged to my grandfather."

"Uh huh…sure."

"DARN IT, ZAN, GIVE IT BACK!"

"Make me," called Zan, as he started running. He then stopped when he bumped into someone.

"Oy, watch it!" yelled a Lilty.

Zan squeaked. "Sorry, Mr. Garrett!" muttered the Selkie child, cowering. The Lilty sniffed.

"Oy, Garrett!" yelled a female Selkie from afar. "Mess with my kid and I'll kick your butt!"

"Whatever!" growled Lilty.

Garrett looked older than before. His orange hair was a little duller, even though he was only in his thirties. His little tuft at the top of his head looked a little grizzled. The Lilty now had a short beard at the bottom of his scowling face. He was wearing casual brown and red clothes, but he still wore his gauntlets from his old days of fighting monsters. But despite looking older, the Lilty's eyes were still the vivid, bright electric blue from when he was younger.

Zan ran away from Garrett- the Lilty was known for being cranky- and cowered behind his mother, who had been talking with her friend, Star.

"Hey, don't let me fight your battles for you," said Mika, rolling her eyes. "Besides, you're picking on Jack. He's SEVEN. You turned ten a month ago. Why are you running?"

Jack appeared, dashing past Garrett and right towards Mika, Star, and Zan. He was panting.

"Zan, come on!"

"Oh dear," said Mika. "Zan, give the stupid thing back."

"But mooooooom!"

Out of nowhere, a young Selkie girl came and whacked Zan on the head. "Ow!"

"Stop being stupid! Give it back!" she hissed. Giving her a mutinous glance, Zan handed the sword back to Jack. Following the Selkie came two other children: another Clavat, and a Yuke.

"You shouldn't be teasing the others," scolded Dah Zul to her twin brother. "It's a day of celebration, after all!"

Star smiled. She had changed very little since the days of the Tipa caravan. Sure, her hair was a little longer, and her clothes were a little worn, but everything else, including her personality, hadn't changed at all. She was still renowned as one of the sweetest girls in all of the land- something that Jack, Sarah, and Chad found embarrassing. She still looked young, with only a small wrinkle here and there.

Sarah sighed. "Jack, it's only a toy sword. You shouldn't get so upset."

Sarah looked similar to her parents. She was a year older than Jack, and much more mature. She was dressed in a nice blouse with a knee length blue skirt, and some brown boots to go with it. Her lighter brown hair was fairly long, and she wore a headband over it. Her eyes were hazel, like Star's mother's, and her face was thoughtful and intelligent. She needed to be both, especially when dealing with both of her brothers.

"But…she was making fun of Dad!" protested Jack.

"Who was making fun of me?"

Jack whirled around to see Sam heading towards him, smiling cheerfully. Behind him were Creston and Ray, and Sam's third son, Chad.

"What's gotten you so worked up, Jack?" asked Sam.

Sam had grown a lot since the days as a caravanner. His hair was a bit longer now, and some of the bangs hung in his face. He had a stubble, instead of his clean shaven face from when he was younger (it was rumored that Star liked the stubble), and there was an occasional wrinkle on his face as he grew older. His clothes, like everyone else, looked older, although Sam had apparently taken the time to make them look clean for the occasion. He still wore his old boots, and he had a necklace around his neck with a locket attached (it had been a gift from his mother after he and Star got married).

"Zan doesn't think you saved the world!" blurted out Jack. Sam arched a brow, then chuckled.

"What?" asked Mika, her tone changing. She cuffed her son. "How many times do I have to tell you, Zan! We DID save the world- and we've all got the battle scars to prove it. Do we have to tell you about Creston's arm again?"

"N-no!"

Mika sighed, putting her hands on her hips. She then ran a hand through her shorter hair. Instead of keeping her long, silver locks, Mika had decided that her shorter hair was easier to manage. Unlike Star, she had no wrinkles on her face, still looking as young as she did ten years ago (a Selkie's skin did not even start to wrinkle until they were well into their sixties or seventies). She dressed more modestly than before, her lavender top not showing off her cleavage, and her skirt being a little longer. According to Mika, she didn't want to set a bad example for her kids.

Ray snickered at the spectacle. The Selkie hadn't changed at all in terms of personality. He was still wild, crazy, and the jokester from the old days. He still wore his bandanna, only he now wore it at an angle to cover his eye, so the children wouldn't get scared (although he sometimes used it as a means of punishment, calling it his "evil eye"). He wore a black tunic now, and his pants were gray.

"Don't pick on them so much," said Ray.

"I need to discipline our kid, Ray."

"Let his twin sister do it."

"Oh, please, Dah Zul couldn't hurt-"

WHACK!

"Ow!"

Dah, who was named after Ray's lost sister, glared at her brother. She, like Ray, was dressed in a black tunic, with a green skirt. Her hair was silver, like her parents, and her eyes were blue like Ray's.

Zan, on the other hand, looked exactly like Ray. He had the same color hair, in the same exact style, although Zan's was a little neater. He even wore a bandanna, although his was green. The one feature he received from Mika were her teal-green eyes- everything else, including his mischievous personality, came directly from his father- and he was proud of it.

"Where are Nieta and Lianora?" asked Mika to Creston.

Creston shrugged his shoulders. Creston, like most Yukes, did not really change appearance-wise. His helmet, clothes (which were now grey instead of green and blue), and feathers all looked a little duller, but he hadn't changed personality-wise, albeit becoming less snarky and more warm towards his single son, Lanston. The one main difference with his appearance was that he had a metal arm now. Lia had forged him a metal arm from iron, and put it together so Creston could wear it. Currently, they were researching a way to put life into the prosthetic arm to make it usable, but Creston was content simply for looking like a normal person…well, semi normal, for a Yuke anyway.

"She and Nieta are in the library, looking up books about children," said the Yuke calmly, stretching.

"Do they need help?" asked Lanston. The young Yuke was thoughtful and kind, traits that he had received from his mother most likely. He had a round helm with two horns sticking out of it, and he wore a green tunic with brown pants. However, despite the boy's down to earth nature, he occasionally belted out a witty remark or retort towards Zan and Chad's antics. And everyone knew where those little sarcastic sayings came from.

Creston patted his son on the shoulder. "They said they'd be along momentarily," assured the older Yuke.

"Can't we start the ceremony soon?" asked Chad. "I'm starving!"

Chad was the youngest of Sam and Star's children, being at around the age of five. However, he looked very little like either of his parents- Sam had to admit that sometimes he looked at Chad with unease. If he had looked any different, Sam may have thought that Star had cheated on him, but he knew that couldn't be possible; the simple thing was, Chad looked more like Rex than either Sam or Star. He had the dark brown hair that was almost black, and the same pale skin. The only difference was that instead of being the piercing emerald color that Rex's eyes were, Chad's eyes were a murky green-brown. But still, the resemblance was uncanny.

"We'll start soon, Chad," assured Star. She glanced at Sam. "Right, dear?"

"Of course! I'm just waiting for Nieta and Lia before we DO get started."

Three years after the miasma had finally been vanquished, Roland had passed away- his wife passed away two years after. But before Roland had died, he had told everyone that he had intended to pass on the title of village headman to Sam- which worked out perfectly, as Sam never wanted to leave Tipa. The place had too many good memories for him to leave.

Sam glanced around the town. It had hardly changed since the old days of the caravan. All of the houses were still the same (including Roland's, which is where Sam and Star lived now). The families of the caravanners were still there (minus Ray and Creston, for obvious reasons, and Mika's family, who had moved back to Leuda), although they too had grown a little older. But as all of the families entered the center of the town, Sam felt as young as he had when the caravan had first set out.

One reason for the lack of change was size- Tipa was a very small town. Despite people wanting to move into the town of the world's heroes, there was no room. Although many people hinted that Tipa should expand, Roland (and later Sam) had refused, saying that Tipa was a small seaside town, and that's the way it was going to stay. Creston had reacted to these people with disdain.

"Yes…no one had really cared about us until we saved the world…we were just some minor town…as soon as we become famous, everyone wants to come and hang out with us," the Yuke had said.

Sam was snapped out of his memories by the sound of Ray's voice.

"Here come the last two now," said the Selkie, jerking his head toward the direction of Creston's house. Sam looked on to see Nieta and Lia heading down the path.

Lianora was wearing a pretty purple coat, and some dark blue pants. She and Creston had become successful together, and Lia's clothes showed it. While Creston didn't dress up nicely, he spoiled Lianora with nice clothes and things she wanted. Seeing that Lianora always wanted to look her best, she decided to stop asking Creston to stop, and accepted all of the gifts he gave to her. Sam laughed in his head. Lia hadn't changed much- although it was funny how the couple argued about giving presents to one another, of all things.

Nieta, on the other hand, was wearing a simple brown coat, with some beige pants to go with it. She was wearing some simple travelling boots, and her hair was shorter and tied in a bun. Her outfit was only partially buttoned, due to her swollen belly. Nieta was fairly far into her pregnancy now, and she and Lia had been in the library, looking up books on how to raise children (as Lianora loved when new children came around, and always wanted to help). As she showed up, she smiled brightly at Garrett, who smiled in return.

"We're here now," said the Lilty, looking at Sam. "You could've started without us- it isn't a huge formal thing."

"I know," said Sam. "But I think that since this whole festival is honor of the miasma falling-"

"And us," added Ray.

"Well, yes, I was trying to be humble," said Sam. "I figured everyone who helped should be here."

"Why aren't you waiting for Mog, then?" asked Zan.

"Mog said he'll come by later…he and his wife are travelling around and visiting the other moogles," explained Creston.

"Okay, then," said Sam, looking around. All of the family members had gathered, and the gate to their town was closed. Tipa usually got a lot of visitors, and many people tried to come around the time of the annual festival. While Sam would let visitors take part in other festivals, this was an event for the people of Tipa alone.

"Friends, and families," said Sam. "It has been over ten years since the miasma has fallen…and so, it is time to celebrate, for it was the Tipa caravan that finally conquered the monsters!"

The families of the caravanners all cheered.

"And so," said Sam. "Let the festivities begin!"

And so they partied. It was as if they were young again. Garrett and Ray had drinking contests, Lianora told the tales of Tipa caravan to the children, while the adults told them of the monsters and creatures that had once prowled the land. The villagers danced around the crystal in the light.

That crystal hadn't glowed in ten years. But Sam wasn't complaining.

Eventually, Mog and his girlfriend, Moggina showed up. He was greeted by a huge hug from Nieta.

"Sorry, Bal Dat and Artemicion held me up," explained the moogle.

"What were they up to?" asked Nieta.

"Trying to swindle me out of any goods I was carrying. But they failed- I know all of Artie's tricks."

Both of them laughed together. "Come on you two," said Ray. "Get into the party- have a good time."

The Selkie pushed both of the moogles into the dancing crowds.

And so, they continued to have fun. There were moments of laughter, sadness, and anger all in one night. Not that anyone was made sad- it was more of the memories of the eight caravanners that gave them a more somber attitude during the party. As for the anger, Zan apparently told all of the other kids that he heard Ray and Mika doing something upstairs in their room, but the door was locked. Creston was annoyed, knowing fully well what the Selkies were doing. Ray just told Creston that he was sore because he HADN'T been doing that lately.

Soon enough, it was getting late. The elderly went to bed first, as they lacked the stamina to keep staying awake. After that, the caravanners all put their kids to bed, one by one (although Zan, Dah, and Chad all put up a fight to try and stay awake). Mog and Moggina left after that, saying that Mog's parents were expecting them (although Mog looked disgruntled by this fact). Soon enough, it was only the eight caravanners from ten years ago awake. They had eventually left the crystal and walked up to the cliff that overlooked the sea. They all stood there for a while, silently reflecting.

Garrett glanced at Nieta. "Remember that time a long time ago…when we first got together?" he asked. He nodded his head at the ocean. "It was out there, on that volcanic island…Kilanda."

She smiled at him. "I remember."

Garrett looked at the spot on the cliff. The old spear was gone. Two years ago, he had removed that testament…it wasn't needed anymore.

Smiling together, they bade everyone a goodnight, and headed back to Garrett's house to go to bed. Nieta was pregnant, after all- she needed her rest.

Ray stretched. "It's time we turned in as well. After all, Mika and I have some other things planned for celebrating tonight."

"You're both disgusting," said Creston shaking his head. "But have a…nice evening."

"That was almost friendly, Creston," said Mika, giggling softly. She let out a yawn. "But, I've dwelled on memories enough. Thinking about all that crud we did ten years ago makes me feel old."

"Since you're not getting old at all," said Ray teasingly, as they walked away. Mika laughed.

"I still remember that one time, after Dah Zul died…you and I were right up there…it was a sad night, but I think that's where it all really began."

Ray let out wistful sigh. "Well, although I wish she hadn't died…I'm happy I still have you."

Mika smiled at him. "Alright…back to the bedroom. And this time, be QUIETER! I don't want Zan to wake up and hear us."

"Then don't cry out…"

"Shut up!"

Back at the cliff side, only four caravanners remained. Lianora yawned.

"Well, I need my beauty sleep," said Lianora.

"No you don't, you're beautiful enough," said Creston. Lianora sighed embarrassedly.

"Creston, be serious."

"I am."

"Well…come on. Tipa will be open to visitors tomorrow morning, and I'm going to have to wake up early for work. And you will too. We need to work, Creston."

"Lianora, in my line of work, it's a GOOD thing if I don't have any patients."

"I know, but…still…ugh, I'll explain when we get home. Goodnight Sam, Star."

"Goodnight," said Sam, as the two Yukes walked away. They continued to have their friendly banter as they walked off.

"When you're a doctor, Lia, you DON'T want to work. It's BAD if you have to work."

"We still need to make a living!"

"Whatever you say, bookworm."

"And I thought Mika and Ray argued like an old married couple," said Sam, laughing pleasantly. "Wow…"

"It's only been ten years, but it seems like it all happened ages ago," said Star. "Time is a curious thing."

"It is strange," admitted Sam. "I actually never wanted to be a celebrity, but those golden statues of us in Alfitaria, and all of our names in history books around the world…and here I just wanted a quiet life after being a caravanner."

"We do have a nice quiet life…for the most part," said Star, smiling. Sam smiled in return.

"True…I couldn't wish for anything more. Come on, it's late. We're the only ones left awake…"

They both headed back to the house that had once been Roland's; even though both Sam and Star's parents still lived in the village, neither house could hold an entire family of five as well. When Roland's wife passed away, she said that Sam should be the one to inherit Roland's house, as Roland always viewed Sam as a worthy leader to take the title of village headman.

When the two got back inside, Sam closed the door to the house, and they both walked upstairs. Sam opened the door to stare at the kids.

"Finally, you're both home!" said Jack, jumping out of his bed.

"What…you're all still awake?"gasped Star. "Don't you know what time it is?"

"We couldn't sleep!" said Chad. "We wanted you to tell us a bedtime story!"

"You already heard Lianora read you the tales of our caravan," said Sam sternly. Whenever they wanted a bedtime story, it was always one of the Tipa caravan's adventures that they wanted to hear about.

"But it's not the same as hearing it from you. We want to hear the entire thing!" whined Sarah. "From you guys!"

"You too, Sarah?" asked Star, shaking her head. Even the most mature of their children wanted to hear the story.

"Come on, Mom and Dad!" pleaded Jack. "Please?"

Sam sighed, and smiled at Star. He probably would've been curious, too. Star smiled in return.

"Alright, fine. Just this once, you can stay up as late as you want, and you can hear the ENTIRE thing. It all began like this…"

**000**

After the world was saved from miasma, nothing bad had happened for the rest of all of the caravanners' lifetimes. When Lianora, the last of the caravanners to die, finally passed on, the world was still at peace, with the four races (and moogles) living in harmony at last. No monsters ever returned. No war was waged. And the miasma NEVER showed itself to the world again.

River Belle Path became a popular place to have picnics. Sam and Star would often take their children there to eat and enjoy the beautiful countryside.

Port Tipa became a well known port after Tristan expanded his business there. Of course, this made the Tipa peninsula much more popular, as everyone wanted to visit Tipa after its caravan saved the world.

Goblin Wall was cleared out, and it became a popular marketplace. All of the bones, remains, and weapons were either sold, thrown away, or used to make something new. The Goblin King's throne room was turned into a hot spring where people could relax.

The Mushroom Forest became densely populated with moogles. It also became a conservation for other creatures, such as the docile creatures that pulled the caravans along, or griffins, which had remained after the miasma had vanished (apparently, griffins were not evil creatures, but the miasma tainted their thoughts). Cows were also commonly found among the toadstools as well.

Marr's Pass stayed as the small, yet bustling, village for generations to come. Blacksmiths and merchants still made their business there, but the city did well enough economically for years to come.

The Jegon River remained the same completely. Tristan continued to ferry tribesman across the waterway for the rest of his life. Since he had lowered the price after the miasma had fallen, he didn't make much, but he made enough to live a happy, pleasant life. The old Lilty lived to a ripe old age, and eventually passed on the job of ferryman to one of his grandchildren.

The Mine of Cathuriges was reopened, and it became a place where many blacksmiths gathered. Lianora worked there for a little while, instructing and giving advice to others, before leaving to return home after a few months. Very few weapons were made, as not many people needed them anymore (save for the Lilty guards, who were still very protective of their city). Other metal things, such as stoves and building materials, were more commonly found.

Alfitaria remained a large city. After the old king had finally died (although he died peacefully and happy that he had witnessed the downfall of the dark miasma), Princess Fiona ruled long and well. There was one small revolution made by a small batch of nobles, which she handled very efficiently, and no lives were lost. Other than that, nothing else threatened her reign.

In Tida, Nieta supervised the rebuilding of all of the dilapidated houses. She took it upon herself to make the village inhabitable again. Eventually, when all of the buildings were repaired, and all of the old monstrosities were removed, people began to return to the village. When she had found Armstrong's arena, Nieta made a small cross-shaped grave as a testament to the fallen monster.

Moschet Manor was turned into a museum of the past ages. Replicas of monsters, weapons, and people were made. Even sculptures of the Tipa caravan could be found, to their embarrassment (except Ray's). Jack Moschet and Maggie were nowhere to be found when people explored the manor.

Veo Lu Sluice was also turned into a town. The ruins that were once everywhere near the water were cleared away and replaced with new buildings of individuals who wanted to live by the water. The golem's old pieces were found and removed, and put in the Moschet Manor museum.

Shella remained the quiet retreat it was years before, although the amount of scholars and teachers there decreased a fair amount. Most of them became historians, teaching the past about miasma and monsters. Due to the fact that magic and fighting wasn't needed a lot anymore, most teachings and trainings on how to fight were forgotten.

The Fields of Fum also remained peaceful. The apples stopped disappearing after Rex had been chased out of town a second time, and without worrying about monsters, the town became a sole place of farming and taking care of animals, and was the main source of food for all of the towns. The cow races became much more popular as well.

Selepation Cave was rarely visited, until it was discovered by a group of Selkie explorers (who were actually the Striped Brigands) found many valuable resources hidden under the snow and rock one day. This led to many treasure hunters packing their bags and going to the snowy cave, looking for treasures. The Wind Crystals were worth the most, as they had only been found inside the stomachs of Cave Worms (who had loved the taste of the crystals) prior to the downfall of miasma.

Daemon's Court was torn down, as it represented a dark era that had ended. However, many of the weapons and devices created by the lizardmen were either put in the Moschet Museum, or used to make new technology. Many of the weapons were melted in the Mine of Cathuriges, as no one really wanted to be in possession of a large number of weapons.

Rebena Te Ra and the rest of the Rebena Plains were seldom visited, although it was heard that there were plans to rebuild the great city, as a sign of the return to the golden age.

Conall Curach was left untouched. Although many historians were eager to try and unlock its secrets, even with the miasma gone, few were brave enough to enter the treacherous swamp. The water there was still tainted, although it was unknown how. The bridges built by the Selkies began to rot and tear apart, making travelling through the swamp still dangerous.

Mount Kilanda was also ignored, although many people went sightseeing through the Kilanda Islands. However, although the miasma had disappeared, Mount Kilanda was still very treacherous with its lava pits, boiling geysers, and tricky paths to navigate.

Leuda eventually expanded in the Lynari Desert. Small little camps were built all throughout the vast island. The Lynari Isle became known as the "Leuda Campgrounds", as the villages were all over the island. New ports were made, and then there were specific entrances to specific camps. Each camp had different opportunities: some would sell metals, others would sell fruit. But through it all, only one thing mattered to Tipa: Ray's high score on the trampoline game still stood.

The Abyss and Mag Mell were both left alone. After the miasma streams had vanished along with miasma and the monsters, a large forest separated the Abyss from the rest of the world. Sam gave a speech in Alfitaria, which said that while the carbuncles were extraordinary creatures, and the Abyss was a unique place, it was not that great, and that it would be best to let the carbuncles rest now that the world was safe. No one had visited the Abyss since then.

Amidatty became very famous for presenting a model of the world…even though he had, in fact, used a loaf of bannock. This was the subject of many jokes among Garrett and Creston.

Gurdy decided that since the miasma had been saved, he had no reason to tell those poems. However, due to his skilled poetry, Gurdy decided to become a singer. He joined a band of four people who travelled throughout all of the villages and towns, singing their songs. He eventually realized he was Hurdy again, and then decided to settle down in the Fields of Fum for a quiet life.

Kar Redge and Lan Thraw started dating after Raem was defeated, and they later got married and had two children. They both became merchants, and travelled around the world, associating with other Selkies and the other four tribes. The two of them eventually realized that the other tribes weren't so bad, and they got their tattoos removed, like Mika did a few years earlier.

Taka never recovered from his heartbreak over losing Mika. However, three years after Ray and Mika were married, Mika went to Leuda to visit her mother and brother who had moved there. Taka forged a letter and sent it to Ray, causing Ray to believe Mika was cheating on him (Garrett had gone with her, and the letter was in his handwriting). Mika, who was outraged that Ray would think such a thing, got mad as well. Eventually, Garrett found out the truth from Ray telling him about the letter, and the problem was resolved when Lianora found Ray and Mika getting intimate in HER house. After losing to Ray yet again, Taka stopped trying to win Mika back. He got sick three years later and died. His last words were: "Mika should've chosen me."

The Striped Brigands continued to steal and lie and trick and deceive. And they continued to be proud of it. Although some adventurous Selkies tried to join them, they declined- the Striped Brigands had been a group of three people, and even though Meh Gaj had died, they weren't looking for a replacement.

Rex was finally caught five years after the miasma had fallen. He had been chased out of multiple villages multiple times, but he was finally caught in Alfitaria by Garrett, who had been a guard at the time. Rex was selling necklaces that he said would protect the people when "the miasma returned- as it has been foretold." These actions, along with Rex's previous acts, got him arrested, and he received a life sentence. Rex made one last gamble with his life; he made the deal that if he could defeat Sam in a duel, he would be free to go. Sam accepted this decision, and won the battle. Rex returned to prison, and many people regarded him as "a captured monster".

The carbuncles continued to sleep… for a long time.

Denilla put her best efforts into trying to get Nieta to go through with the originally planned marriage, but Nieta refused, and Princess Fiona warned the old Lilty that if she kept harassing Nieta, there would be consequences. Denilla then retired from her old job as a teacher, and spent the rest of her life knitting outfits for people.

Mog became famous in the moogle world, and he lived happily in Port Tipa with his wife, Moggina. It is unknown if they had any kids, although many moogles have referred to Mog as their uncle. Mog joined Stiltzkin in exploring for a while, before finally settling down.

Stiltzkin himself simply continued to travel the world, telling children stories of the years before (ten years had passed, and there were already legends).

The Tipa caravan simply relaxed after their defeat of Raem and the Meteor Parasite, although they each had many different paths.

Nieta's memory returned to her eight years after the miasma had fallen. She and Garrett had moved to Alfitaria, as Creston suggested that bringing Nieta back to her roots may help her restore her memory. Nieta became a sort of community worker, and decided that she would try and make the world inhabitable after the monsters destroyed everything. She started by rebuilding Tida, before moving onto Veo Lu, and from there, she began other projects. The Lilty girl was never bothered by the nobles again when Princess Fiona entered into power, and Denilla stopped heckling her as well. After eight years, she woke up, wondering why she and Garrett weren't sharing a bed, as they were together. Garrett, who had been overjoyed, cried, and told Nieta everything that had happened. They got married shortly after, and about a year later, Nieta got pregnant. They had one daughter named Kala. After they moved back to Tipa, Nieta continued to help plan out new cities. Once everything had been built up, Nieta decided to work with Garrett.

Garrett became a guard in Alfitaria, as he had to take Nieta there to try and restore her memories. Garrett's joining made many more Lilties try and join the guard. Garrett moved up quickly through the ranks, becoming one of the most respected officers. He caught many petty criminals, but his greatest achievement was catching Rex when Rex was selling false amulets to people in the alleyways of the grand city. After Nieta finally recovered her memory, Garrett, who had been homesick, moved back to Tipa with her. Instead of becoming a miller (to Creston's immense disappointment), Garrett opened up a small restaurant, discovering a love for cooking all the years he had been making food for Nieta. Ray and Creston apparently had had a bet going whether or not Garrett would become a miller like his father, which Ray won. Garrett's restaurant was one of the reasons why many people flocked to Tipa. Other than cooking, Garrett trained his daughter how to fight, just in case any boys tried to flirt with her. Nieta often pointed out that monsters were gone, so Kala wouldn't need to fight, but Garrett didn't listen- as usual.

Creston, who had originally decided to become a scientist after he retired from caravanning, became a doctor instead. He studied for about a year in Shella, and later studied a little more in Alfitaria. He learned how to cure many diseases and he eventually made a book called "Creston's Guide to Medicine and Healing". Creston also became adept in psychology as well, and when someone had a problem, they would often travel to Tipa to get help from the best of the best. Creston almost decided to open up a hospital in Alfitaria or some other town, but decided against it, preferring to stay in Tipa. Creston also taught people about the hazardous effects of miasma, even though it wasn't around before. He and Lianora never suffered a large problem in their relationship. Creston was never cruel or cold to Lanston at all, even though Selstun had been horrible to his son. Lanston wanted to grow up and be a doctor as well. Creston never published anything about Selstun's theories, although he permitted Ray to give Selstun credit in one of the Selkie's speeches.

Lianora took it upon herself to get rid of the laboratory in Creston's basement, the room that Creston hated so much. When Creston returned home, he found a library instead, with all of the strange scientific devices placed in boxes (Lia didn't throw anything away, in case it proved useful to Creston). She worked as a blacksmith for a few years, but she decided that she loved being a librarian even more. Lanston would always help her out in the library. Lia bought many books and found many ancient scrolls (Nieta would always look for them when cleaning out the old buildings in Tida) to put in the library. If anyone needed to find a rare book, there was a good chance that Lianora had it. Lianora also wrote down a journal of the adventures she had gone through- The "Tipa Chronicles" became the most popular book among all of the people in the world. A revised version was later made, known as "Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles". While many copies of this book were made, Lia always kept the classic.

Ray surprised anyone- after staying as a thief and a clever merchant for a couple of years, he became a teacher- sort of. He mostly gave lectures in his little house in Tipa (which he expanded after the miasma vanished). People would come from all of the cities to hear Ray talk, and he occasionally travelled around and gave little speeches. He would talk about history, the theory of miasma tolerance (to which he gave the late De Nam and Selstun some credit), and more deep things, like love and the importance of family. While it didn't seem like a grand profession, Ray enjoyed hearing himself talk, and money fell into his lap- although he was rumored to take people's wallets when he embraced them after his lectures were over. After he had been a teacher and speaker for a few years, he decided to relax and become a merchant again. Zan and Dah both looked up to him, and they both wanted to be merchants, too. Although he and Mika temporarily broke up, they were never torn apart again after getting back together- some of the noises that one could hear late at night from their house proved that.

Mika, on the other hand, never became a teacher or anything. She travelled around as a merchant when Ray taught, deciding that she had gotten bored of just dealing with fish (and the smell was HORRIBLE). Since her family moved out of their house, Mika turned it into an inn, and let guests stay in Tipa for awhile, in case they were here to see Creston or visit Lia's library. She and Garrett worked together, with Garrett doing all of the food, and with Mika giving them the lodgings. However, she still remained a thief, and sometimes snuck a few extra gil out of her customer's wallets. She still wrote letters to her mother, Kar, and Lan- she cut off all ties with Taka after he tried to break her and Ray up again, although she still attended the Selkie's funeral. Although Mika still acted like a sneaky Selkie, she informed both of her kids that she would beat the shit out of them if they ever acted like she did. Ray found this funny, and stated that the way Mika acts makes her attractive, and said that Dah would never get a boyfriend like that. Mika promptly beat Ray with a fish.

Star and Sam lived happily ever after, almost like a fairy tale. Star stayed as a farmer, taking care of the animals on her parents' farm when the two of them got too old to do it. At the same time, she remained as Sam's loyal and faithful housewife, and usually stayed in Tipa to bring up their children. She would often have Jack and Sarah helping her out in the fields (Chad would usually stay home and read books in his room). Star became very famous as the "Princess of Tipa", which many people called her, to her enormous embarrassment. After Rex was arrested by Garrett in Alfitaria, she went to go and visit him before he was to fight Sam, and she tried to get him to call it off, but to no avail. After Rex lost, she went to visit him again. She tried talking to him, and asked him why he had been such a horrible person. Rex simply told her that he didn't kill Sam all those years ago, and that he gave her Excalibur. He then told her to go away. They were never known to meet ever again. After the dilemmas with Rex were over, Star could live in peace, knowing that her brother had finally been caught, and that his horrible deeds had finally been made up. She and Sam lived in Tipa for the rest of their lives.

As for Sam, he spent the rest of his days in Tipa, living as a quiet farmer, and fulfilling his duties as the head of the village. He wanted to relax now that his days as an adventurer were over. Sometimes, late at night when his kids and Star were asleep, he would get up and think about the days of the caravan, and he sometimes missed those fun adventures that he and his friends had had. But since the world was now a peaceful place, Sam didn't mind- he'd trade the adventures and fighting for peace any day. He was a Clavat after all. But looking back on it all, Sam knew he wouldn't have changed a thing. He would've been a simple farmer boy and fighting caravanner all over again, if given the choice.

But the facts were facts: the miasma was gone. So were the monsters. The crystals could now rest in peace, and the myrrh trees could finally wilt and die, having served their purpose. The world was a peaceful place once more. The Golden Age had returned.

This is the end of the Tipa Caravan's Crystal Chronicles.

**000**

And…it's done…I can't believe it's finally done…it's just…wow.

The ending is a bit cheesy, I know, but I couldn't help it. This is going to be my final author's note, everyone…at least for the main part of the story.

Where to start? Nieta got her memories back! After eight years- I figured Garrett would have to work for it. I sort of gave Garrett a shitty ending compared to everyone else, so I decided to make him happy again now that Nieta is back. And Garrett…in the end…became a COOK! Not a miller! So Ray technically won the bet he and Creston had. But Garrett caught Rex before he retired, so he can brag a little bit.

So, caravanners. Yes, Lia was the last to die, and she wrote the original story, which was later revised by a certain author (hmmm…). Don't worry, she gave me her permission before she finally passed on. And she opened a library. I planned that a LOOONG time ago. I had a hard time with Creston- I wanted him to be a doctor, but I wanted some more with him, but he COULDN'T be a scientist (that would be the Selstun path) so I made him a psychologist too.

Ray was the hardest. But I think that out of all of the caravanners, Ray understands the concept of family and love the most. I think he's one of the smartest characters in the story, but not in a bookish way (show him math, he wouldn't know what to do). I think I can see Ray passing on all of his knowledge to people. But he's still a thief- same with Mika. And yes, they still have fun time- they're Selkies, people.

Sam and Star have a simple ending. Nothing to say on them, but they have lovely kids and such. I like how Sam starts to tell the story at the end. It's as Creston said to Garrett- nothing lasts forever. He's going back to the beginning of the story. Go Sam!

I tried to change the world literally, not figuratively, which is why all of the locations are mentioned as being changed. Go Nieta- rebuilding Tida, Veo Lu, and Rebena Te Ra. She may not have her memory, but she's not helpless- that's the message I was aiming for there.

Rex was caught- finally, right? You'll have to tune in to "From Caravanner to Criminal", because I've got the first chapter written, and we'll just say that Rex has an interesting story. Be warned- he has a potty mouth.

And now for the kids. Jack was named after Sam's father, and Sarah is named after Star's mother (who I never really named). Chad…that was just random. I liked Sam's unease over Chad looking like Rex- that's sort of showing that bastard's lasting influence. But the villains don't win- Selstun died, Rex was locked up, and Taka got his heart broken and died too (ouch, man).

More on kids. Lanston, I like. He got Lianora's good traits, preventing another Selstun (I'm not going to lie- Creston and his father have some scary similarities- don't deny it). I LOVE how Dah Zul and Zan Rak turned out- I had planned ever since "Pain" to have Ray name one of his kids after Dah Zul. Time to reveal an unknown fact: Ray's name is a pun. His name is "Ray Zul" which is like "Razzle", while Dah Zul's name was "Dazzle." So they form RAZZLE DAZZLE.

I didn't include Kala because I can't have them all making babies. So Nieta is pregnant. Woot.

Time for the closing. To my readers…this fanfiction started out as a simple idea- I just wanted to write a story, but I never intended for it to be this long. In reality, it was supposed to end at around fifty chapters- how did I get to eighty seven? But anyways, while you think about starting a story, and continuing a story, you never really think about ending a long story. But it feels good. The ending is always that hardest part to write- not because it has to be just write, but because it's like saying goodbye. I started this story over a year ago- it's been 1 2/3 years now. I've been writing this story that long- it's like a friend is going away. I'm going to stop thinking about the next chapter now, and move on. No more updating. No more new chapters. It's finally finished.

I can't thank my reviewers enough. They've been an enormous help, with both happy fans, motivating me to continue, and constructive criticizers, offering me a helping hand. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have. But don't worry- I love this fanfiction dearly, so we won't be saying our total goodbye to the Tipa caravan just yet. But as for the main story…this is it.

I hope you've enjoyed Final Fantasy: Tipa's Crystal Chronicles. This is the end.

-Dark Amphithere


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